Caught in the Middle
by storyseamstress95
Summary: What if Draco had a sister? What if Voldemort had a daughter? And what if Severus had a lover? They're all the same person. Rated M because of some touchy situations like rape and other sexual situations, but only slightly exceeds the T rating. Doesn't necessarily follow the books.
1. Chapter One

As she boarded the train she looked back on her mother and father, who lovingly waved their support. Her brother placed a comforting arm around her and she looked into his pointed face, lovingly twisted into a soothing smirk, his pale blonde hair smoothed back from his forehead. She smiled and walked the rest of the way onto the train.

"Let's find our way to a compartment," Draco said. As she and Draco searched for a compartment, she saw upperclassmen performing spells and she coveted their knowledge. She couldn't wait to learn everything she could. Draco soon found a compartment for them and they entered it.

Two boys sat together, discussing what house they wanted to be in. Their heads snapped up when the doors opened, and grinned at Draco. "Can we sit here?" Draco inquired.

"You can," said Vincent Crabbe. "But she can't," added Gregory Goyle. Draco looked at them pleadingly.

"Come on guys," Draco cajoled.

"It's ok Draco, I'll find somewhere else to sit," she said gently. And with that she left the compartment. Soon she found another one with just a red-headed boy and another one with jet-black hair.

"Can I sit here? It's the only one that's not so full," she asked. "Sure," they answered jovially.

She sat down and turned a curious eye on them. The red-headed boy was a bit stocky with a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His clothes looked second-hand, but that wasn't so bad. The black haired boy was lean and taller than the other, and quite frankly looked a little starved. He wore extremely round glasses and seemed to have broken them many times since there was tape holding them together. His clothes looked secondhand as well.

"So, what's your name?" the boy with freckles asked.

"Katherine. Katherine Malfoy. I'm adopted though."

"So am I, kind of," said the black-haired boy eagerly. "At least, my parents died and my aunt and uncle took me in."

"That's what happened to me, but the Malfoy's aren't my family at all. But they have been parents to me since I was small. About one year old," replied Katherine. "What are your names?"

"I'm Harry Potter and he's Ron Weasley," said the newly named Harry.

"You're Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived?" Katherine asked in awe.

"I guess so," replied the boy a little uneasily. "Let's talk about something else."

"Alright, what house do you want to be in?" Katherine asked.

"Gryffindor!" replied Ron brightly. "Me too," chirped Harry. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure," said Katherine vaguely. "I'm just excited to go to Hogwarts."

They talked in this vein until they had reached the famed castle.

-000-

Filled from the fabulous feast, Katherine threw another forlorn look to her brother who was sitting at the Slytherin table. Flanking him were Crabbe and Goyle who were giving her smirks of amusement, as if being in Gryffindor was something to laugh at her for. She held her head high and followed the Head Boy to the dormitories. The red and gold hangings were cheery to Katherine, who wasn't in such a good mood after having been separated from her brother. But the appearance of one Hermione Granger had lifted her spirits because of her vast knowledge of the castle that she had only been in for a few hours.

Harry and Ron didn't seem too keen on her, and she on them, but they all sat together because of their mutual like for Katherine. She was vibrant, despite having grown up in such a dreary household and loved to talk. She noted that a child talking in her house was frowned upon most of the time, and that they were very strict but loving parents.

"They can be a tad racist though," she interjected delicately, like the matter was too tainted and filled with hatred for her innocent and accepting state of mind. "They always tell me that I'm just like my mother and father, but never tell me who they are," she frowned mournfully. But she perked right back up when they began to talk about other things, showing that the only thing that her childhood had been haunted by was not knowing her true mother and father.

Reclining cozily in her bed, she thought about the day ahead of her and wished that it would just come already.

-000-

Minerva McGonagall swept through the Great Hall and found the student she had been looking for. Albus had told her that she looked like him, but she didn't know it would be so strikingly similar. It was like having him as a student again. She brushed off the old feeling that was settling on her shoulders and walked up to the young girl.

"Miss Malfoy, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office after breakfast," Minerva said briskly.

"Of course, Professor…?" the girl bit down on her lip to try and remember her name. Bless her, the poor thing.

"McGonagall. Professor McGonagall," Minerva came back with.

"Thank you," the girl gushed. Merlin this was going to be a hard year.

-000-

Draco caught her before she got to Dumbledore's office.

"Hey. I noticed how you were getting buddy-buddy with Potter, Weasley and the mudblood. Don't do that. Befriend someone worthy of your attention. Like Crabbe or Goyle," Draco told Katherine.

"If you noticed me becoming friends with them Draco, then you must have noticed that Crabbe and Goyle weren't so forthcoming with friendship," Katherine retorted. "I don't have time for this. I need to get to Dumbledore's office."

"Alright, whatever YOU want. Just think about what I said. And I WILL be writing Mother and Father about this."

"Go ahead," said Katherine angrily as she spun on her heel. Really, she loved her brother, but he could be so infuriating.

-000-

Katherine hesitantly placed a closed fist near the door, unsure if she should knock. The Headmaster seemed imposing at best and the Potions Master even more so. She finally decided to knock and the Headmaster said, "Enter."

Looking around the room she saw things that she could tell were his own invention because she had never seen them before. And other gadgets that she wanted to try out for herself, to see how they were used.

"Sit please." The Headmaster gestured towards a large chair that had claws for feet. Katherine wasn't intimidated by this, only amused because it reminded her of the furniture she had in her own opulent home. She sat down primly, the way her mother had taught her to do. He gazed at her over his half-moon spectacles and smiled at her.

"So you are the Malfoys' daughter?" he queried. "Yes sir, but only by adoption," Katherine dutifully replied.

"Do you know who your birth parents are?"

"No."

"Then you may go. Have a nice year here at Hogwarts."

And with that, he lightly pushed her protesting self out of the room and shut the door on her.

-000-

Looking back on that morning, it was probably one of the strangest in her life. But not near as strange as the night that she and Harry saved Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets.

With the help of Hermione, they had just found their way to the Chamber of Secrets and Lockhart followed. When Gilderoy tried to wipe their memories, it backfired, sending him crashing against the wall. Harry and Katherine were separated from Ron and Lockhart. Useless though he was it was comforting to know that there was a teacher with them. Harry and Katherine pressed on.

When they reached the Chamber, they ran to Ginny who lay prostrate on the ground, checking for a pulse, for heat in her hands, anything that would indicate that she was still alive. A figure appeared out of nowhere. Harry looked up and recognized him immediately.

"Riddle," he breathed. "Riddle, you've got to save her!"

The boy named Riddle just took his wand and quietly explained to Harry that his name was an anagram for "I am Lord Voldemort". Then he looked at her. Because Harry was his main target, he didn't notice Katherine until now.

"You. What is your name and status?"

"I'm Katherine Malfoy. And I don't know my status. I was adopted by the Malfoy's," Katherine murmured in reply.

With a small wave of his wand, Katherine found herself imprisoned in a small cage that she could hardly move around in. Another small flick and the basilisk came pouring out of Salazar Slytherin's mouth.

"Kill the boy," she could hear him clearly speak.

"No!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping Harry could be saved by sheer power of will."Why don't you kill me too, why only Harry?"

"Because you are too valuable to lose. Do not question Lord Voldemort."

The entire time Harry was fighting for his life, Riddle, really Lord Voldemort talked to her. "We are so alike you know," he mused. "More alike than you could ever guess."

That statement should have tipped her off, but she was too young to understand. Now she understood how stupid and blind she had been.

-000-

A man had come up behind me and grabbed me roughly, placing a hand over my mouth so that I couldn't scream. We struggled for a few minutes, and then everything went black.

-000-

I was laying in a graveyard, unaware of where I was. I got up and looked around. A statue of a Grim Reaper towered over me and I shivered. This dank, dark place was an ominous blur of horrifying sights. A bright light flashed and Cedric Diggory and Harry appeared. I saw them and called out. They turned to me and Harry's face was flooded with horror. I instantly knew something was wrong. Typically I asked.

"Harry, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Cedric, Katherine, we have to get out of here. Now!" Harry urged.

Suddenly a man appeared from the mist and a flash of green light erupted from the end of his wand. The light hit Cedric square in the chest and I knew he was lost to us. "Cedric!" I moaned. How could Cedric die?

My mind raced with thoughts of escape. I watched in silent horror as Harry was lifted onto the Grim Reaper and fastened there with his scythe. I saw his blood be taken and a man dump a baby into a cauldron, adding Harry's blood and his own flesh. I saw a fantastical beast rise from the cauldron. And that's where my story begins.


	2. Chapter Two

As the beast was clothed in wizards robes I saw it was a man and not a werewolf as I had previously thought. His eyes were like snakes eyes and he had slits for nostrils. His clawed hands smoothed over his bare skull and he opened his eyes to reveal a sinister quality about them. He moved over to the man who had given his hand and said, "My wand, Wormtail."

The rat like man gave him the requested item and the bald-headed man asked for yet another thing. "Your arm, Wormtail."

The newly named Wormtail held out his arm and the creature seized it, pressing his wand into his doughy flesh. Soon a dozen people arrived, all wearing black and masked. I melted into the shadows.

The creature gave an emphatic speech about his followers and asked why they hadn't served him faithfully over the years. They all gave their reasons, and the creature ran over to the last one and ripped off his mask, causing the man to fall to the ground in supplication. I gasped as my own fathers silvery blonde hair tumbled out, and his pale white face was revealed to me.

Apparently my gasp of surprise was audible enough so that the creature could hear me because he whipped his head around and his eyes settled over me.

"So. We have yet another guest. Crouch said he would bring you, but I wasn't too sure. Come here girl."

He motioned for me to move over and I started hesitantly. Apparently my snail's pace wasn't fast enough for him since he strode over to me, dug his fingernails into my delicate arm and dragged me into the moonlight for everyone to see. I heard my father let out a slight moan at my predicament. I glanced over at him and saw that he was debating over the best course of action to save me. I gave him a reassuring nod to let him know I wasn't hurt. Yet.

The creature ripped the elastic band out of my hair and sent my jet-black curls tumbling about my shoulders, the tips resting just below my breasts. He took one curl and manipulated it around his finger. He caressed the lone curl for a few seconds, then pulled on it roughly, sending me to the ground. I cried out in pain and no sooner was my wail finished that he grasped my face in his hands and pulled it around so that I could face him. I almost screamed from seeing his face; never had I seen something so distorted pulled into a mocking smile. I looked beyond him and saw Harry struggling to free himself from his bonds, pitifully watching me be thrown around like a rag doll. I knew Harry loved me. That love was about to come at a serious price, I thought.

The man who held my face forced me to look at him, and only him. "Remember me?" he inquired.

I studied the face, and tried to compose my own into something that I hoped was devoid of fear. I searched until I found what I was looking for. When I found it, it took all I had to not pull away in horror.

"You're Lord Voldemort," I said in a trembling voice that I was desperately trying to calm. "Exactly," he said sinisterly. Then he laughed. It was blood chilling.

He pulled me up from the ground and threw me toward the Grim Reaper where Harry was fastened. "Pull him off of the grave. Bring him to me."

I couldn't look at Harry as I waved my wand and he fell to the ground. I gently pulled him up and gave him a slight tug in the direction of Lord Voldemort. He wouldn't budge. Surely he understood that this wasn't my fault, that I had nothing to do with this. Nevertheless, I moved away from him and retreated into the shadows. Without looking in my direction, Voldemort pointed a finger at me, and then at my father. Father came to retrieve me and pulled me over to his allocated spot in the circle of Voldemort's followers. He held me tightly in place while Harry and Voldemort circled each other.

A battle soon ensued. I yelled and screamed for Harry's safety, only to have Voldemort order my father to smack me and keep me quiet. After that I kept my mouth shut and prayed silently for Harry.

My parents weren't too keen on anything Muggle-like, which included religion. But one day when I was roaming the streets around my home I found this church. I went in and immediately felt peace. Then a pastor came out to talk to me, and told me about a wonderful man named Jesus who could change my life and love me. I thought that it was a wonderful thing since my parents weren't so great. Not that they didn't love me, but there was always something lacking about their parenting. Every Sunday after that, when everyone else in the house was sleeping in, I went to church. Hence the prayers that were going to Harry.

Soon they cast spells at each other and their spells collided. I watched in awe as they both struggled for control. The bodies of Voldemort's last victims moved out of his wand, and Harry's mother urged him to leave. When the connection broke, he gave me a cursory apology glance and rushed to Cedric's body. He accioed the Tri-Wizard Cup to him and he was gone. I was alone with one guardian and an insane Dark Lord with his equally insane ring of followers.


	3. Chapter Three

While Lord Voldemort writhed with intangible anger, Father tried to move me out of the way and get me to safety. Almost as if he knew my exact location at all times, he threw a Cruciatus Curse at me. Instantly I was on the ground, soundlessly contorting in pain. He kept it going for a full minute, and then lifted the curse when he had taken all his anger out on me.

"Why me? You hardly even know who I am," I threw at him when I had gained enough breath.

Instead of answering me, he said, "Lucius, control her. Keep that mouth of hers shut."

I obliged simply because I didn't want Father to get hurt, but I was burning with a million questions.

"Now, who wishes to give me a place to stay?" Voldemort inquired. "No one?" he said when no one stepped forward. "Lucius, your manor is big enough for everyone, is it not?"

"Yes my Lord," my father quietly agreed, his head bowed.

"Good. When my daughter comes home for the summer holidays we can get to know each other better," Voldemort mused.

I shivered and felt horrible for whoever that poor girl was. Who would want Voldemort as their father? Obviously they were estranged because he needed to "get to know her better". If I were that girl I would be estranged from him as well. And almost as if he could read my mind, he turned to me and said, "We are only estranged because I have been lost these many years."

What the hell? How did he do that? There was no time to think on that though, because he started to talk again and said, "Lucius, take us to your house. Bring the girl with us."

I looked in my father's face and saw that he was scared. "My Lord? Do we truly NEED to bring her with us?" he asked.

"She is essential to the night Lucius. Of course we need to bring her. She cannot go back to school yet," he replied. "Speaking of school, why didn't you homeschool her? I thought that it was decided long ago that she wouldn't go to public school but be taught by Narcissa."

He had a murderous glint in his eyes, almost as if his orders had been disobeyed. But he had no say in my schooling, he needed to butt out of my parents decisions. I decided to tell him so and instantly a resounding "smack!" landed on my cheek.

"My, my, you're getting slapped a lot tonight. You should keep your mouth shut so you don't have a permanent hand print on your face," Voldemort said quietly.

I simply glared my reply to him. I had hoped to come across menacing and nothing to be trifled with, but he took one look at my facial expression and cackled with glee. My malicious lion's scowl soon turned into a pup's confused face as he doubled over in laughter. I supposed that if he had tear ducts he would have been crying, but I assumed that his face was too distorted to be natural in any which way.

"Just like your mother!" he managed to choke out.

I froze. He knew my mother? I had always pictured my mother to be the quintessence of goodness, but because she was associated with Voldemort my perfect mother started to fade around the edges and be tainted black. I frowned my anger at Voldemort which no longer seemed to amuse him.

"Don't be so insolent," he threatened. "Lucius, come! All of you!"

No one seemed particularly thrilled to be spending the rest of the night with the lunatic leader they had thought was dead all these years. Nevertheless, they all disapparated one by one and soon my father, Voldemort and I were left. My father grasped my wrist and twisted mid-air. I had the peculiar feeling of apparating for the hundredth time in my life. It was something I hadn't learned to get over yet.

When we got to my home, we walked through the gates and I had a queasy feeling in my stomach. I wanted Harry there beside me, to hold my hand and tell me everything was alright. This was a childish thought, and I knew it, but I still wanted it to happen.

I wondered where Harry was. He was probably being patched up and looked after by the mothering Madame Pomfrey and going crazy wondering if I was ok. I tried to telepathically let him know I was ok, but only tried it half-heartedly because I knew it wouldn't work at all. After turning all these thoughts over in my mind, my thoughts turned into sludge and would barely form. I only slightly registered that we were crossing the threshold of the front door and that I was extremely exhausted. And I was too exhausted to know from just what. My father's grip steered me into the drawing room and I sat down in one of the imposing chairs that I knew so well from all of childhood.

Voldemort talked on about several things and soon Firewhiskey was introduced into the room. Everyone was on their way to getting roaring drunk in "celebration" of Voldemort's return when it suddenly got quiet. I snapped out of my sluggish haze and whipped my head to the door. There stood my Potions teacher, Severus Snape.

"Traitor," I thought irately, yet glumly at the same time. I always thought that Dumbledore trusted him, but I guess not. I made note to tell Dumbledore as soon as I could.

"Severus, I did not expect you. I thought you had deserted us like Karkaroff," Voldemort remarked.

Karkaroff? Wasn't that who Harry was always talking about? I shook my head to clear my thoughts and refocused in on the conversation.

"I am no traitor like Igor Karkaroff," said Snape with a scornful smile. "While he has run, hid, and denounced you all these years, I have kept my faithful post at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's nose and have gathered much useful information over the years. The way we reacted to the minor setback of losing you has been completely different from one another."

As he said this he slowly walked closer into the room. Comfortably enough to come within spitting distance of Voldemort, but not so comfortable that he started relaxing in one of the chairs. And then I realized that this was all a game. Please the king, and the jester might live for another day. That's why he was so nervous advancing on him.

"You say that you've been collecting information all these years about Dumbledore, but have not said anything that has interested me. Tell me secrets and I will turn an attentive ear," Voldemort declared.

Snape then began pouring secrets left and right, about a brother he had a strained relationship with, how he once had a fling with Professor McGonagall but then realized he was gay and left her heart broken, but then she just moved on to his brother that he had a strained relationship with, his sister that he was afraid he killed when she was a teenager. He told him that Dumbledore's soft spot was for Harry, and only because he had romantic feelings towards him because Harry reminded him of a man named Grindlewald that Dumbledore had known in his youth. He also said that although he was against someone having too much power, he craved power himself.

I was shocked by everything I was hearing. This man Snape described was not the same Headmaster I had known for four years. I almost wanted to cry because the perfect illusion of Dumbledore was fading away. I then realized how childish I sounded to myself and mentally smacked myself and said, "Get over it!"

He then went on to mention that Harry was just like his father, arrogant, rude, self-centered, not at all bright, and extremely cocky. I opened my mouth and emitted a shocked noise of protest. All eyes in the room turned to me as I indignantly said, "If anyone here is that, it would be you Professor! Harry is a better man than you'll ever be!"

"Why is she here?" he queried with righteous indignation, nostrils flaring, deadly voice speaking low.

"Ah Severus, at last we have gotten to the point of the evening! I know you know who this young woman is, but for everyone else who doesn't…" He crooked a finger in my direction and I shook my head no. A murderous look passed over his face but was gone in a millisecond. "Come here girl," he said clearly and warningly. I shrugged my shoulders like I didn't care and moved toward him with a jaunty strut, even though I was trembling on the inside. When I reached him, he turned me around forcefully so I was facing everyone but him.

"You all may know this girl as Katherine Malfoy. And she is a Malfoy. When she was about one year old the Malfoys adopted her because her birth parents were both dead. They have loved and cared for her for these last thirteen or so years," he began.

"Tell me something I don't know," I quietly muttered. I thought he couldn't hear this statement, but apparently he could and it pissed him off. He bent down close to my ear, I'm only 5'2", and whispered, "Open your mouth one more time and you'll end up just like your mother. Murdered."

I started to protest, to try and ask him why my mother was murdered, but he just waved his wand over me, casting a silencing charm to keep me from interrupting him again. Knowing that trying to communicate with such a lunatic would be useless, I decided to shut up.

"But here tonight is one of Katherine's parents, her true father. My fellow Death Eaters. This is my daughter."

I fainted.


	4. Chapter Four

I was awoken with my father, no, make that adoptive father, standing over me, wringing his hands in futile worry. I swiveled my head and saw that Snape had retreated into the shadows and was watching me intently.

"You," I whispered furiously. My misdirected anger, because truly I should have been angry with my father who never told me about the heinous creature who actually fathered me, was pointed right at Snape because he had known that I was Voldemort's daughter and never told me.

I lunged to my feet in white hot fury, ready to throttle him with my small bare hands if need be, and instantly saw spots in front of my eyes. I swayed and my father, no, my adopted father, caught my arm and steadied me. I blinked several times to erase the spots from my retinas and saw Voldemort's face looming in front of mine. I visibly cringed and he grinned a horrible grin.

"There has to be some sort of mistake. There's no way I could be your daughter," I started. My father, adoptive, silently handed me a piece of paper. On it was a photograph of a very handsome man, unsmiling. He had dark hair, and a patrician nose. His mouth was a hard, harsh line across his face. His eyes were dark and unfathomable. I looked in one of the many mirrors in the room that my mother had vainly installed and touched my nose. It was the exact same as the one in the picture. I ran my hand through my hair and it was the same shade and my eyes just as dark as the man's. But my mouth was more bowed and softer than his. I turned to Voldemort and said, "But this can't be you. You look nothing like this man."

"But you do remember me from your second year, in the Chamber of Secrets, don't you?" he questioned. Sadly I did. And his sixteen year old self was the spitting image of this photograph. My lower lip trembled and I was on the verge of crying for the millionth time tonight. As one tear slid from my eye, Snape was instantly beside me, handing me a handkerchief. I rudely pushed his hand away and as my tears started coming in a torrent I blindly made my way to a chair. Unmoved by my show of horrid grief Voldemort went on to address Snape like nothing had happened. I stilled my tears for a moment. Crying could be for later, but now I could get valuable information to give to Dumbledore later, information about this lying traitor.

"Severus, you claim to have been faithful to me, and you have given me a fount of useful information, but you have done nothing else to prove your loyalty," Voldemort began.

Snape quietly folded the proffered and rejected handkerchief and tucked it back into his pocket. He waited for Voldemort to go on with his speech. He did not. So, Snape started to address him.

"My Lord, anything you ask of me I shall do it."

"Crucio!" Voldemort screamed and Snape was instantly on the ground, his legs and arms thrashing around in pain. He emitted a low moan, as if every one of his nerves was on fire. Even though I had never liked him, I couldn't bear to watch a human being in pain.

"Stop it!" I yelled. Voldemort broke the spell and turned to look at me.

"One minute you hate the man, and then the next you're defending him. You are a very complex girl," he mulled over. He turned to Severus and said to him, "You said you would do anything?"

"Anything for you My Lord," Snape whispered, too tired to speak clearly.

"Teach _my daughter _a lesson about speaking out of turn. The way you used to do to every insolent girl."

Snape's face went white. I knew he was fighting an inner battle. Eventually, he came to a decision and said, "My Lord, I cannot."

"So you lied to me?" Voldemort said in a deadly voice with a narrowing of the eyes.

"I teach this girl, I cannot do this to her," Snape explained pathetically.

"I care not," Voldemort declared. "Besides, she shall be homeschooled next year by Narcissa. Like she should have been in the first place."

I looked over at my father who was watching the whole thing silently. Surely if I was in any real danger he would step in to help me. I wasn't too worried.

A worried frown came over Snape's face and he said, "As you wish My Lord."

He came over to me and took me by the arm. He pulled me out of the drawing room and as we left I could hear Voldemort saying to my father, "You screwed up raising my child. Crucio!"

Snape pulled me into a hallway that led to many guest rooms. I was shocked at how well he seemed to navigate the halls of the maze that I had called home for the past 13 years of my life. He finally chose a room and pulled me inside.

"Do you want to win this war or not?" he asked me quietly.

"That depends," I said crossly as I jutted out my chin in defiance. "Whose side are you on?"

"Dumbledore's. I wouldn't tell you this if I weren't for what I'm about to have to convince you to do."

I was scared and confused. I had no idea what was going on.

Looking back on that night, I think that if I hadn't given in, maybe if I had put up a fight, I wouldn't be where I was today.

I don't want to explain the rest of what happened that night, but I will say I lost my virginity; something I had been saving for the right time with Harry. I cried for the whole night while Snape cursed himself.

I see that night and never want to relive it. Although I fell in love with him eventually, that night still haunts my dreams sometimes.

And I was wrong about my father. He knew. And he wouldn't lift a finger to help me.


	5. Chapter Five

The next morning I was tired. I had cried myself to sleep in my own bed, my own mother unable to comfort me because Voldemort had given her strict orders to let me "stew in my own misery". I went to the breakfast table with no appetite and quietly sat down. Voldemort was sitting there reading the Daily Prophet with a knowing smirk on his face and he silently watched me come in.

"Feeling a little meeker this morning my lioness?" he innocently inquired. I looked at him silently and with absolutely no expression on my face. I turned to my plate which had been filled with food while I wasn't looking. I nibbled on my food unable to convince myself that I needed to eat. My mother entered the room and absent-mindedly told Voldemort that my father wouldn't be joining the table today because he was too hungover from last night and there was no more hungover potion left in the house. She looked at me in my disheveled state and gave me a sympathetic frown; but no words of comfort. I knew I looked like hell. But who gave a damn?

After a few minutes of utter silence I pushed my plate away and stood up. The second I did though, Snape walked into the room. We stared at each other for exactly three seconds and then both looked away in embarrassment.

"This is the best job you've ever done on a girl Severus; she's absolutely speechless now. Or was that just a Silencing Charm you put on her?" he remarked. Only after Snape started laughing dryly did I realize that he was attempting at a joke.

"I only seek to please you my Lord," Snape said while bowing over submissively. Bull shit.

"Good. And now, you need to take this girl back to her school; I believe the Headmaster may be concerned about her. Her boyfriend as well," Voldemort said.

I threw a sharp inquisitive look at Voldemort but his face remained a blank slate. How he knew about Harry was beyond me.

"Of course My Lord," Snape said. He bowed yet again and then moved out of the door. I followed him into the bright sunlight.

As we reached the road after the long walk from the long driveway, he held out his right arm and the Knight Bus immediately appeared. We got on, he paid our fare, and we were off to the gates of Hogwarts. When we were deposited at our destination and the bus had left, Snape pulled me aside and said, "You know I only did what I did last night to keep us both from being killed, right?"

I stared into his face mutely and he sighed. He turned away and slowly made his way to the castle. I followed and only when we had reached the doors did I say, "I want to see Draco."

He stopped in his tracks, frozen. He barely glanced over his shoulder as he said, "Yes, I suppose you can. Follow me."

We made it through the castle without incident, passing by many students who just looked through me and figured that I had just done something bad and was being chastised by the professor. He stopped Pansy Parkinson on the way and said, "Send Draco to my office immediately." She complied by skipping away and tossing over her shoulder that she would.

We went down into the dungeons and I sat in one of the chairs in the office, waiting for Draco to arrive. Snape sat across from me, staring through me as if I wasn't there. There was a tentative knock on the door and Snape said, "Enter."

Draco opened the door and walked into the office. I sprang out of my chair and threw my arms around his shoulders, sobbing uncontrollably for God knows what reason. Happiness, sadness, anger, what did it matter what I was crying for?

Draco held me for a while and then gently peeled me off of him. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Voldemort-" I choked out. "He has-risen!"

"I know," Draco said glowingly. "Isn't it fantastic? Now all of the mudbloods will be wiped out."

I slowly tilted my head so that I could see the triumphant, gloating look on his face. "But that's a horrible thing," I said quietly.

"No it's not Katherine!" he exhaled. He shoved me away from him. "Once again, it falls to me to let you know that you are better than people like that Granger girl because Mother and Father wouldn't stomp your silly notion of equality out of you."

With that I left the room. I went to one of the deserted Charms classrooms and cried my eyes out. My whole world; it was just turned upside down not even 24 hours ago and things were getting steadily worse. I had just found out that my father wasn't my real father and the one who was was a complete lunatic. Then when my adoptive father knew I was about to be sexually assaulted he didn't lift a finger to help me. And now my brother was turning against me. I loved Draco dearly and craved his approval, but everything I did and said always seemed to anger him.

After I cried everything out I had come up with three solutions: to never crave my brother's approval again, to never trust my father as implicitly as I had last night ever again, and to talk to Dumbledore about a possible Summer program so I wouldn't have to spend the Summer at my own home.

I immediately went to Dumbledore's office and whispered the password that I had gotten from Harry- Cockroach Clusters- and went up the spiral staircase. I knocked on his office door and, when I didn't hear anything, went right in. He wasn't there and I remembered the first time I had been in his office. And now it all made sense, his asking about my parents. I remembered wanting to play with all the fancy instruments in his office, and my fingers still itched with the strong urge to. Soon I heard the door open and close. I turned and saw my Headmaster standing there, observing my disheveled state.

His eyes looked tired, like he had been up all night with mind-numbing business. His usually perfectly tied beard was in a little bit of disarray, and his robes were slightly rumpled. He regarded me just the same and I cleared my throat to start with the speech I had worked up on the way to his office.

"Professor Dumbledore, I want to know if there is a summer program that would allow me to stay here instead of going home for the holidays. Normally I wouldn't mind going home, but right now my house is in chaos and I don't want to be in the middle of all the turbulence," I rambled.

He looked me up and down over his half-moon spectacles and said, "You found out about Voldemort last night, didn't you? Him being your father?"

I nodded my head. "Please Professor. I can't go back there," I pleaded desperately. He stared into nothing for a full minute, thinking about my pitiful plea. He then said, "Luckily some teachers do not have a home outside of the school and stay here year-round. If you wish, they could chaperone you and I could write your parents a letter saying you've been invited to study Charms during the summer with Professor Flitwick. Would that suffice?"

Feeling the most joy I had felt in the past 48 hours, I ran up and hugged him, stammering my thanks over and over. He seemed surprised by my outburst of emotion and hugged me back after about thirty seconds of me clinging to him tightly. I pulled away from him and asked, "Where's Harry?"

"Resting in the hospital wing. I think you should be checked out and rest as well," he responded. I reluctantly agreed to being checked and followed him to the wing. Once there Madame Pomfrey threw a big fuss about me and ordered me to strip and get into clean hospital pajamas like anyone else who entered the hospital wing had to do. I asked about Harry and she said he was dozing away because he was up half the night worrying about me. I felt slightly guilty but then brushed it off. Was it really my fault?

She examined me and a slight frown came over her face. "What happened last night dearie?" she questioned. "Well, I got slapped a couple of times and then Voldemort put me on the Cruciatus Curse for a while, nothing else," I responded.

"I see," she said, and the frown in her mouth and brow got even bigger. "Alright dearie, drink this, it'll help you sleep, and lie down." I did as she said and got extremely sleepy instantly. I closed my eyes and didn't dream once.


	6. Chapter Six

When I awoke I saw Harry's face. He didn't even say anything to me; he just kissed my forehead and held my hand. He pumped my hand a couple of times as a way of saying, "I love you." I pumped his hand back and I could feel his lips smile against my forehead. "Hello," I croaked; my mouth was dry from sleep. Harry hurried to get me some water and I gulped it greedily. I couldn't remember the last time I had had something to drink. Maybe yesterday, before the maze portion of the Tri-Wizard Competition? Then I suddenly remembered that Cedric was dead.

"Where's Cedric?" I asked. A pained look came over Harry's face as he struggled to control his emotions.

"The funeral for Cedric is tomorrow. His parents have come to get him already and they're making arrangements," he replied. I could see how hard this was for him, and I took a hand and caressed his face. He rested his cheek into my palm and closed his eyes. Just then Dumbledore and Snape came into the hospital wing and Harry's head snapped up and his eyes snapped open. My hand fell onto my bed and the pair came over to us.

"Harry, I believe that Madame Pomfrey is going to release you right now. Go into her office and she'll check you out one more time to make sure you're ok," Dumbledore said. Harry perked up at this and scuttled into Madame Pomfrey's office to be released from the hospital wing I knew he hated.

"I know about last night," Dumbledore started. "Severus told me. Why did you not tell Madame Pomfrey about it when she asked you?"

My eyes started swimming with tears. How embarrassing that Madame Pomfrey could just look at me and know I had been raped, and then she went and tattled to Dumbledore who brought Snape into it. I was sick of it all. My tears started falling for about the third time that day and they couldn't be stopped. Just when I thought that I was over, my tears started anew and my shoulders shook with sobs. Snape quietly left the room and I knew why. He thought that I thought having sex with him was horrible when in all actuality I was crying because I had been FORCED to have sex. That the one man who could have protected me didn't and now almost the entire teaching staff knew my embarrassing situation. I cried until my tears were nothing but sniffles and a couple of solitary tears.

Dumbledore handed me a handkerchief which I didn't refuse and I wiped my face. I mustered up all my strength and said, "Because I was embarrassed."

That one statement seemed to have said it all because he nodded his head and left the wing. Madame Pomfrey came out and hugged me close. "No need to apologise for anything dearie. I understand."

But she didn't. This was something I was going through all on my own. No one understood me. I sighed and she pulled away, saying I could be discharged if I wanted to. I said I would like that and she gave me back my clothes and sent me on my way. I looked at my watch and saw that it was dinner time. I went to the Great Hall and spotted my friends. I made my way to them and sat down.

"Katy, have you been crying?" Hermione asked alarmed. She was the only one who could call me that.

Harry mirrored her question and even Ron looked slightly concerned, which said something about which stage of hell I looked like.

"It's nothing guys," I said, brushing it off. How could I tell them what happened to me? Tell my boyfriend that his sworn enemy is my birth father? Tell him that the virginity that I had been saving for him, and that he knew about, was now spoken for, courtesy of his most hated teacher? Yeah, no thanks. I wasn't about to have that conversation any time soon. I ate my meal in silence while they all chatted and kept throwing concerned glances in my direction. When I was finished with my meal, I got up and headed towards the dormitories. Hermione found me and cornered me half-way there.

"Katy, what's wrong? I know something's up," she asked concernedly. Breaking down, I told her the whole story, omitting that the one to take my virginity was Snape. She held my hand through all of it and when I was finished she said, "You are the strongest person I know. You're going to get through this."

I looked up astonished. "You don't hate me?"

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?" she asked bewildered.

"I just told you that my real father is the man who is singlehandedly trying to kill Muggle-borns and Muggles, like you and your family. You're not the least bit repulsed?"

She laughed and said, "Katy, if I wanted to hate you for that, I would have done it a long time ago when your brother started smarting off to me about being a so-called 'Mudblood'. It doesn't bother me one bit because I know just who you are. And I know you don't want to kill me and I know you don't have the same views as anyone in your family. So, no, I don't hate you."

Relieved I heaved a huge sigh. She then led me to the dormitories where I laid in bed and tried to go to sleep. At about 1 AM though, having tried to sleep for four hours at that point I couldn't close my eyes and sleep. And then a thought ran through my head. I threw back the covers, put on my robe and flew down the stairs and out the portrait of the Fat Lady.

I ran all the way to where I wanted to be and knocked hesitantly on the door of the person I wanted to see. A bleary-eyed and extremely annoyed Severus Snape looked at me angrily and asked, "What do you want?"

"Sir, I just couldn't sleep and I thought… Why was my mother murdered?"

He heaved a sigh and said, "Because when she became pregnant with you and told Voldemort he was going to kill her, but she bargained with him. Told him she could give him an heir. So he obliged and waited until you were born. When he saw you were a girl he killed her. Obviously their versions on an heir were completely different, unfortunately for your mother. He kept you though, hoping he could raise you to think like him and carry on his master plan. But then he 'died' and you were raised by the Malfoys."

"Oh," I whispered.

"Well, if that is all…" Snape said while beginning to close the door.

"Wait!" I said and stuck my foot in the door and kept him from closing it any farther. "I just wanted to say, I was crying earlier because… not because it was… horrible… or anything like that… I just… didn't want to be… forced into doing something I… didn't want to do," I said haltingly, not having really thought through what I was going to say. "I just didn't want you to… think otherwise."

"I see," he said emotionlessly. "Good night Miss Malfoy."

He then shut the door in my face and I returned to the dormitories. Finally I could sleep.


	7. Chapter Seven

When summer came I hardly thought about it. It had been two weeks since the Tri-Wizard-Voldemort-Cedric dying-Snape-Harry fiasco and I was hard put to forget any of it. The images of that one night came back to me at the most random times and I would suddenly start tearing up. If Hermione was there she would hold my hand in a comforting way. If she wasn't, all I could see were the stares of confused classmates as I walked down the hallway. The exams had been cancelled and everyone rejoiced while I didn't care too much. Other than the emotional flashbacks every once in a while, I was highly functional for the past couple of weeks.

Thankfully I had convinced, or rather shouted down through a series of scathing letters, my parents to let me stay for the summer. They thought I was really doing something "elite" and gave Draco hell about not being accepted to do the same. I also "convinced" them to let me stay for at least my 5th year. I really only told them that I would never come home again, and they capitulated. I felt bad because I had never really whined to get my way or what I wanted in childhood, but Draco had often enough.

When the time came for everyone to board the train to go home, I kissed Harry goodbye. I hugged him tight and whispered in his ear, "Stay safe. I can't lose you."

He nodded and kissed me a second time. He waved goodbye, boarded the train and it took off. I was utterly alone for the rest of the summer. I made my way to the library and took a book off the shelf that I had read several times before and was sure that I could just plough through and finish before dinner time. Just as I was about to sit down, Snape walked into the library.

I had avoided him for the past two weeks. I guess I didn't necessarily blame him for what he did because truthfully he did more to stop it from happening than my own father did, but he brought up memories I wanted to forget. I watched him silently as he made his way toward me. My ears turned pink remembering my conversation with him the night I came back to Hogwarts. He stopped right in front of me and said, "Have a good summer Miss Malfoy." He looked at me a little bit longer with an expression on his face that made him seem like he wanted to say more. But he turned away abruptly and walked swiftly out of the library.

"What purpose did that serve?" I said aloud to myself. I didn't think on it too long though, and started to read my book. It was an autobiography about Nicholas Flamel. I had become interested with him ever since Harry found the Sorcerer's Stone back in our first year and read his autobiography. I liked it so much I started to check it out about once every month and everyone at the dinner table would roll their eyes when I came back with a few more Nicholas Flamel facts, plus ones they had already heard many times before.

When it was about 6:30 I got up from the arm chair, stretched and went to the Great Hall. Dinner was a sparse affair since I was the only student and most of the teachers had left. McGonagall, Flitwick and Trelawney were the only ones left. It was weird eating with the professors. There was no head table; in fact, all of the tables had been cleared out of the Great Hall and one had been set up in the middle of it for the four of us to dine at. It was quiet for the most part, Trelawney looking too glum to say anything and me being too awkward from eating with the professors to say much. When I finished, I got up and went back to the common room.

It was oddly quiet for that time of evening. I was starting to regret my decision to stay here over the summer. But the summer would have been the same anyways at my own home. Me, Draco, and Mother there all day long with nothing to really do all day. We would've had outings every once in a while, but not all the time.

When Sunday morning came, I woke up early and put on some clean clothes. I combed my hair, pulled it back and went to the Room of Requirement. Winky had told me about in my second year when I was despairing about no quiet place to worship on Sundays while in the kitchen. I guess I didn't have to go to the Room to have some privacy, but it was so routine I didn't even think about it. After I had sat there and read a couple chapters of text and prayed, I made my way to the Great Hall for something to eat. Breakfast had just been cleared and it was too early for lunch, so I made my way to the kitchens for some food.

After I tickled the pear, I went through the portrait and saw Winky; she was drunk again. She was swaggering about the kitchen making loud hiccupping noises. All the other elves looked at her in disgust and turned away. I glared at one elf in particular who turned his nose up at her and shoved her away when she came near him.

"Show some compassion!" I said sharply. He just turned his nose up at me and moved away. "Winky, are you drunk again?" I asked the clearly inebriated elf.

"Only a –hiccup- little!" she replied. She swayed on her toes and I caught her as she passed out from the drink. I found the quiet spot that she always laid down in and set her there. I covered her in the filthy blanket that she insisted on keeping and let her sleep. I asked an elf whom I was familiar with to bring me some chicken and biscuits to eat. Almost instantly they were at my side. I chewed in silence, not contemplating anything, but not thinking about nothing either. I thought about the weather, the rest of the summer holidays. Boring things. I cleared my plate and put it in the sink at the elves' protests and left for the library to find another book to read.

I didn't think much about anything those first couple weeks of summer. I read some books, did some summer assignments, started to talk to McGonagall about advanced Transfiguration spells in my spare time. She even coached me and taught me a few. Everything was going well until I realized I was a week late with my period.

What?


	8. Chapter Eight

I panicked. Maybe I had miscalculated the days. I thought back. I counted again. And again. And again. There was no mistaking it. I was a week late.

"But that could mean a host of things," I tried to convince myself. "It doesn't necessarily mean I'm pregnant."

I waited in vain, in agony to prove to myself that I was fine, nothing was wrong.

After about two more weeks of waiting and agonizing and it never coming, I decided to find out.

One morning, at about 4 so I wouldn't get caught, I went to the hospital wing. I figured that if we lived in a school of hormonal teenagers, there had to be some pregnancy scares some times, so there had to be pregnancy potion tests. Maybe. I had never heard of any pregnancy scare myself, save the one that Draco and Pansy had had a couple months ago; and I hadn't even heard it from my own brother, it had come from Crabbe and Goyle, mocking me yet again.

I had yelled and screamed at Draco about being so irresponsible, and that something like that should never happen again. But the OBVIOUSLY responsible one had never thought to use any sort of charm or potion. I was mentally slapping myself across the face for being so dumb the entire time I walked to the hospital wing.

I had threatened to write our parents, but Draco called my bluff. He knew I loved him too much to put him in such a troublesome position. "Why didn't I have more gumption," I thought to myself mournfully.

The wing was unlocked; the professors trusted me enough and knew that if I was seriously injured that I would find them instead of trying to heal myself. Madame Pomfrey wasn't there; she had gone to her summer home in Paris. I opened the door and found Madame Pomfrey's potion collection. I searched and searched until I found one labeled "pregnancy contraception". I rolled my eyes. Why hadn't they given me some of this when I was lying comatose in the wing after everything that had happened? I intended to find out.

I looked a little more and finally found what I was looking for, a fat, squat bottle labeled "pregnancy test". I took out a vial and poured some in it; I guessed I didn't need that much. I went to the bathroom and after I did my thing I saw that nothing had changed. I waited about an hour and still nothing. It was starting to border on absolutely ridiculous. It was 6 by this time.

I knew that I had read something about pregnancy potions briefly in a potions book. I thought hard about where I had seen it and remembered that it was in my potions textbook last year. And I knew where to find one. Sadly it was in Snape's classroom.

I was leery about going down to the dungeons. Even though he wasn't there, nowhere near there, I still felt like he was watching me. Finally I convinced myself to stop acting like such a little girl and went down there to scavenge for the book. I made my way to the dungeons and found the door was locked. It wasn't a huge deal; a simple "alohamora" unlocked it.

I walked into the dungeon and suddenly felt cold. I shivered despite the fact that it was summer and extremely hot outside. I made my way to the cupboard that held spare books every grade level and flipped through the table of contents of the fourth year book. I found what I was looking for and turned to the page that I needed. Suddenly I thought I felt someone or something behind me and turned around. Professor Snape was standing there, arms folded across his chest, dressed in his usual black and scowling at me. I gasped and clutched the potions book to my chest.

"Breaking and entering?" he said in a drawling voice. "Am I going to have to start taking away points before the year even starts?"

"What are you doing here?" I managed to choke out.

"I needed to some get some ingredients for a potion I am making at home and when I walked through the doors in the castle I was alerted that someone had broken into my classroom. What is so important that you needed to sneak into my classroom?"

He wrenched the book from my hands and turned white when he saw what page the book was on. He lifted his head slowly and looked me dead in the face. "What is this?" he whispered dangerously.

I wanted to say that it was on the wrong page, that I wasn't really pregnant. And after about a millisecond of debating I decided to look him right in the eye and say, "I may be pregnant."

Hey, he had the right to know, didn't he?

After a few seconds of inner struggle, he seemed to compose himself and said, "I'm sure you'll want to let Potter know that he'll be a happy father soon."

I felt like all the air in the room had been sucked out. I struggled to gain my breath and say, "But sir-"

He cut me off, "While you might want to protect Potter's reputation and cover this up by thrusting a child into my life, I will not allow it. I have a nice life and I quite like it undisturbed."

He turned to walk away. Suddenly I was filled with boiling rage and screamed, "You coward! You can't be a man and own up to what you did! Bull shit!"

He spun around and gave me such an intense stare that it took all I could to not shrink away from his icy glare.

"Do not ever call me a coward again," he threatened.

"Or what?" I taunted.

He sat there for a minute, clearly trying to think of something bad enough to do to me, but it wouldn't come to him. Finally he took a deep breath and asked, "How late are you?"

"Three weeks," I replied automatically.

He visibly cringed. Then he asked, "Do you know how to work a pregnancy test potion?"

"Yes, but I couldn't remember what happened if it came up positive, hence the book," I said as I pointed to the book clutched in his hand at his side.

He looked at it in disgust and said, "I don't know why they put pregnancy test potions in books for fourth years. Disgusting."

He put the book down, gathered his composure and said curtly, "Well, a pregnancy test potion takes an hour and a half to work, if it is positive it will turn green; if not, black. When did you take it?"

"About an hour and forty-five minutes ago. I haven't looked at it in about thirty minutes."

He tensed up. Apparently he didn't like the idea of finding out whether we were going to be parents at the same time. I took the vial out of the pocket in my robes and held it up to the faint light in his classroom. There was no mistaking the color.

It was bright green.


	9. Chapter Nine

"This is impossible!" Professor Snape declared when he saw that the test was positive. "The Dark Lord said that he gave you contraceptive in your drink the morning after!"

I thought back to that awkward and horrible morning. I didn't drink anything that morning because I was so upset. Hell, I didn't even spend a whole five minutes at the breakfast table!

Well, the mystery of why they didn't give me contraceptive in my coma-like state in the hospital wing was solved.

"Well, maybe he should have informed me that he did because I didn't feel like eating that morning and didn't take one sip," I said defensively. Why was I being defensive? God only knew. I didn't need to prove my actions to anyone, let alone Snape.

All of a sudden Snape looked very old and tired. I thought about how old he was and counted the years. He would be thirty-five. Not too old to have a child, but definitely too old to have a child with a girl twenty years younger than him. As I thought about this he pulled two chairs out and sat down in one, motioning for me to do the same.

We didn't speak for a few minutes. He just sat there staring at the ground and thinking. He lifted his head and said, "You're sure it's not Potter's?"

I felt a tinge of pity for him in my roller-coaster of emotions. This was going to ruin him just as much as it was going to ruin me. I considered his question for less than a heartbeart, figured I had absolutely no dignity left and said, "Harry and I have never had sex. He's still a virgin."

I felt slightly awkward discussing such a sensitive topic with one of my teachers, but who gave a damn anymore?

He rubbed his hands all over his face, as though trying to wipe away the worry lines and the frowns. "This is mine?" he asked, pointing to my stomach.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. How long was this going to take for him to process?

He once again rubbed his face. "You have to tell your parents," he said.

Suddenly I felt a surging fear in my chest. Not that I had done anything wrong, but what would my parents think? What would Voldemort do to me? What would he possibly do to my unborn child? I shrunk away from the thought, and found that I had literally done the same in reality. He noticed my fear and said, "You don't have to tell them just yet. Whenever you're ready."

I was surprised at his thoughtfulness. It touched me. I thought about when the best time would be and said, "I'll tell them before summer is over."

He nodded in approval and said, "Tell them soon. If you don't, and then you suddenly start to get bigger, they'll be furious you didn't tell them sooner."

I nodded in agreement. My parents could be wrathful at certain times.

He walked out of the classroom and I followed. He locked the door, turned to me and said, "Don't break into my classroom again Miss Malfoy." He then turned on his heel and walked off.

I walked back to the dormitories, relieved that I had gotten such a big weight off of my shoulders. My childish self didn't even think that everything was just about to begin and my shoulders were about to become even more weighted down.

It wasn't until later that night that I thought about the fact that he didn't get the ingredient he needed for his potion at home.

And it wasn't until years later while sitting on the loveseat in the living room with our three children fast asleep in their bedrooms down the hall that he told me that he had gone home and sat near a window and stared out the entire day, thinking about what we had just talked about. That he had ripped books off his shelf and wept like a child. That he had drunk two bottles of firewhiskey by himself that night, getting drunker and drunker until he fell into a dazed stupor. That he had gone to a Death Eater meeting the next day completely hungover and completely afraid to speak because he thought that he would spill our secret. That never had he been so afraid and so happy at the same time in his life.


	10. Chapter Ten

_Authors Note: After intense deliberation and both of the characters screaming at me in my head to put them in the spot light, I decided that I would write in Sev's point of view for this chapter. I just ended the last chapter on a brief description of what happened the night he found out he was going to be a father and soon found out that it wasn't going to be enough for me, and probably not for the people who have been loyally reading every chapter as I fanatically post them. So this chapter is dedicated to telling about Sev's night in hell and the light that he finally sees at the end of the tunnel by the end of it. _

_P.S. Thank you to the lovely Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape who has been posting cute reviews almost every chapter. They've helped me because I was quaking in my boots for the first couple of chapters hoping that at least one person would like it. Thanks sweetie! This chapter is for you!_

I sat at my window, drink in hand. The bottle was nearly finished, and I was on my way to getting extremely drunk. I thought about the things that Miss Malfoy had told me. Poor Potter. He was about to find out that his girlfriend was pregnant with another man's child. Not that it was her fault anyway. Me being the monster I was had followed the Dark Lord's commands blindly and had hurt an innocent student. And now she was pregnant. I shuddered.

_I'm too old to have a baby,_ I thought. _And you should never have a baby with one of your students, _my mind added on traitorously. I shuddered again and took a drink, finishing my glass. I poured another glass, polishing off the bottle. I downed my drink and went scavenging for another bottle.

Not for the first time, I wondered what right the Dark Lord had to put me in such a situation. _He's not going to be pleased when he finds out that you impregnated his only child,_ my mind thought. But what choice did I have? Surely I could have argued more. But it probably would've ended with him killing me and assigning one of his more depraved followers to the task. McNair or Rudolphus would have been the worst candidates. I suppose it could have been worse. I mentally shrugged and then outwardly sighed.

_No innocent baby needs the affliction of my heritage, name, or life thrust upon them for no reason, _I thought miserably. _This baby will probably grow up to be as troubled as Miss Malfoy is._

I was suddenly filled with a foreign anger. It ripped through me and I felt the need to throw something. I reached for the nearest thing, a book, and hurled it against the wall; it wasn't enough. Soon I had gone over to my bookcase and started tearing books of the shelves, crying the whole time, not really knowing what I was doing or why I was doing it. I collapsed on the floor with most of my books surrounding me, crying out every tear I had and didn't know I had.

And then slowly, like a creeping warmth, I thought about the upside of this encounter. _A baby, _I thought. _Something I never had with Lily…_

I had always wanted at least one baby, so I could nurture it and give it all the love and care that was never shown me in my childhood. I had thought that my one baby would be with Lily and we would just be one happy family. When she married James Potter, she took that dream away. But now life had given me a baby, even thought it was in an odd, unexpected way.

_Perhaps this is life giving me a once in a lifetime do-over, _I thought. _With this do-over, I can raise this baby and care for it. Yes, this is life giving me something good for once._

I stood up and returned to the bottle, but this time I drank in celebration. I drank till the bottle was finished and I passed out on my bed, too drunk to keep my eyes open.


	11. Chapter Eleven

_Authors Note: Yeah, that last chapter was a pretty short one, but I've always been a big believer in the theory that a well written sentence can hold more gravity than a paragraph full of garbage. Anyways, here's the newest chapter. The description of Narcissa that comes from Katherine is inspired by my own mother who is the single greatest woman in my life. Sorry Jo. Hope you guys like! _

My summer passed uneventfully, really, for the rest of the time. I went to Hogsmeade frequently, especially Honeydukes because I was starting to get a crazy sweet tooth at random moments, and sometimes even took the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley or back to my house. At Diagon Alley I window shopped and (surprise, surprise) ate at Fortescue's ice cream shop and at home I spent quiet afternoons with my mother, but rarely stayed for dinner.

My brother never wanted to talk to me when I came home; perhaps he was still angry at me for our little… "tiff" I guess you could call it. He had pissed me off royally, and I assume I did the same. Draco not talking to me was weird, but I didn't give a damn. I knew he hung out with Crabbe and Goyle all summer, doing petty things to people they didn't like; almost like Harry's cousin Dudley. I wanted to rat him out, but I didn't want to disturb the peaceful afternoons with my mother.

My mother was amazing. People never really thought so because she spoke harshly to most people, but when it came to me she was patient, gentle, and spoke in nothing but a loving, soothing tone. I figured it was because I was the daughter she had wanted Draco to be. And now that she had me, what was the point of having another baby? I was practically hers anyways.

Mother always took my side in an argument. If I had done something bad, but had done it out of good intentions, she always understood and jumped to my rescue. She would fight to the death for me. She was extremely protective of me, just slightly less than the warlock had been of his hairy heart. My childhood had filled out and flourished under her watchful and loving gaze.

Our afternoons together usually passed in silence; we didn't need to talk. We were comfortable just sitting there and each other's presence was therapeutic. She would read the latest articles in the gossip magazines and do embroidery, and I would embroider with her and scratch out letters to Harry.

My parents, as you could most likely guess, disapproved of my being with Harry. When I wrote them that I had a fabulous boyfriend and that his name was Harry Potter, they wrote back horrified, demanding that I break up with him immediately and that if I didn't they would pull me from school. I sent them a series of letters, shouting them down about how just because Harry had different views than they did, it didn't mean that he wasn't a good person. Eventually they backed down and let me date him. It wasn't until a few years later that Draco told me that they were having him send them weekly reports of what our relationship was like and how it was progressing.

I now saw why my dating Harry was so horrifying. The man who fathered me was the enemy of my boyfriend, the boy I loved. And now, here's a twist you don't see every day, I was pregnant with number two on my boyfriend's hit list.

I hadn't yet told Harry that Voldemort was my father, or that I was pregnant. Actually, I had failed to tell my parents yet until the second to last week of summer.

I headed to the house on a Saturday, completely unaware that a Death Eater meeting was going on. It was late afternoon and I was determined to make it through dinner because I knew my mother loved having me at the table.

I walked through the doors and saw hordes of Death Eaters coming out of the meeting room, saying how starved they were, and my mother, ever the gracious host, invited them all to stay for dinner. The men, never being ones to pass up a meal at our home, all accepted.

That's when my eyes met Snape's. I wasn't sure what passed between us, but there was a definite connection.

"Miss Malfoy, I wanted to talk to you about your potions class this coming up year," Snape announced.

"What?" I said confusedly.

"Come with me," he motioned. I followed him down a hall and into the study. There he closed the door, sound-proofed it, and asked, "Have you told your parents?"

Ah, the dreaded question. I cleared my throat and squeaked out, "No…"

He heaved a sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "You need to tell them. Tonight."

I gulped and nodded. It was time to put the big girl panties on and do what I needed to do.

His face softened and he asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

Again I was touched by his thoughtfulness. I wondered who had replaced the Snape I had formerly known. I nodded my consent for him to stay, and, without another word, he swept past me and left the room.

Gathering all my courage, I went to the dining room. Everyone was sitting around the table, laughing and chatting. I whispered in my mother and father's ears that I wanted to speak to them in private.

Watching me start to leave the room, Voldemort called out, "Where are you going?"

Curse him. Ummmm… "I wanted to speak to my _mother and father_ in private, thank you," I stated and started to haughtily walk towards the door.

"We are all family here. Why not tell us all what you were going to say?" he said as he narrowed his eyes.

I mirrored my eyes to his. He knew I was pregnant. How he knew, I didn't know. But he knew and he was going to humiliate me in every which way he could.

"Very well," I said curtly. "Mother, Father; I'm going to have a baby."

The tension and silence in the room were so tangible that you could have bottled them. My mother looked horrified, my father was white, Voldemort was grinning in evil glee and everyone else had either shocked or impish looks on their faces. Snape's was one cleanly devoid of any emotion.

Voldemort broke the pregnant pause, no pun intended. He said, "Is it Potter's?"

At that suggestion, my mother fainted, my father caught her, everyone screamed in shock and Voldemort was sent into gales of laughter. Once again, Snape had a clean look on his face; almost as if he was bored.

I waited for everything to die down and my mother to be brought around before I said, "Don't make such absurd suggestions. It's his."

I pointed to Severus and at this everyone turned to him. His face still had that bored quality to it as he said, "She's not lying."

Everyone turned to my mother when she said, "Sweetheart, you _must _break up with the Potter boy now; he won't understand."

"How do you know?" I hurled at her. She flinched and I was immediately sorry.

"My question is Narcissa, why did you allow this to go on as long as it did?" Voldemort asked.

"We thought she would grow out of it My Lord," my father replied, speaking his first words since my announcement.

"I see," Voldemort mused. He directed another question at me, "You do plan to have an abortion, right?"

I was filled with white hot rage at that suggestion. "No!" I screamed. And then at a lower level, but with my voice still filled with passion, "I will not kill an innocent child just to make my life easier. That's the chicken's way out."

I looked in my peripherals and thought I saw Snape give a tiny sigh of relief; did he want this baby?

Voldemort stood up and strode to where I was standing. He towered over my small frame and menacingly said, "Have an abortion. Or you will regret it."

I looked back at him defiantly and said, "I'll never regret my decision to keep this baby."

I strode out of the mansion, seething, called the Knight Bus and went back to the castle. I stayed there for the remainder of the summer and shopped for my own things at Diagon Alley a day I knew my family wouldn't be there.

P.S- I never did regret it.


	12. Chapter Twelve

_Authors Note: So, the last chapter was pretty, uh, intense I guess? Anyways ,hopefully this will be as dramatic as the last one was. And if you didn't think it was drama enough, then it'll be even more so this chapter. Enjoy! : )_

It was the first day of school and I was absolutely exhausted. I didn't sleep well the night before, knowing that soon I would have to find a quiet place with my friends and tell them that I was going to have a baby. I went to the feast and nibbled on my meal. I was glad to have Harry, Hermione and Ron back. Ron was stuffing his face with food and trying to talk with some of it in his mouth, spewing bits occasionally. Harry and Hermione were telling me in hushed tones about a thing called the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to taking Voldemort down.

They told me that there was a secret weapon that he wanted but didn't seem to be able to get. I pondered on this. What kind of weapon could you use other than a wand?

I didn't think about it too long and looked at Harry. I was worried about him. He looked thin, again, coming off of the summer. There were bags under his eyes and he had just told me about 20 minutes ago that he had been attacked by a dementor over the summer and had almost been expelled from Hogwarts. I was worried that this year wasn't going to be such a spectacular one for him. But when had any of them been spectacular?

A woman named Umbridge stood up and started talking like a mother would to her infant. It puzzled me, and I was sure that I wouldn't like her. She introduced herself as the new DADA teacher and I silently laughed in my head. She didn't look like she could defend herself against the kitten pinned onto her chest in the form of a brooch.

Harry tugged on my sleeve and whispered, "She conducted my trial where I almost got expelled." Now I knew why she seemed so intent on us liking her. She was a ministry spy. And she proved this with her long and thinly veiled metaphorical speech on how she planned to take over Hogwarts. Great.

Soon the "welcome back" feast was finished and the prefects showed the first years to the common rooms and dormitories. Harry, Hermione, Ron and I went to the common room and talked for a while. Soon other people began to drift away and I was barely able to keep my eyes open. I told them I had something to tell them and I wanted to meet them on the astronomy tower tomorrow after classes. They all agreed and Hermione and I went to our dormitories. I fell on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

I woke up late and my mouth was dry and my hair a mess. I quickly brushed both my teeth and hair and put on fresh robes. I went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, grabbed a banana and went to Potions class.

As I walked down to the dungeons, I started shivering. The dungeons were always dank, musty and cold. I looked at my watch and realized I was two minutes late. Damn it. I ran the rest of the way and stumbled into the classroom.

It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust but my ears were still working just fine. I know this because I heard Snape say, "Take your seat Miss Malfoy. And 5 points for being late."

Oh well. It couldn't be helped. I sat down and took my textbook out. Snape went on a long speech about what this year was going to be like with O.W.L.s. He then assigned an extremely hard potion. I was paired with Hermione and since she was the one with the superior potion-making abilities I didn't have to despair too much. I loved it when Hermione and I were paired together. We always worked like two cogs moving together seamlessly. In no time our potion was finished.

We called Snape over and had him grade our potion. He looked at the both of us, his eyes resting on me slightly longer, then glanced at the potion. After a cursory glimpse, he said, "The shade is off," and gave us an E.

Hermione rolled her eyes and we started to clean up. "So what's this you want to talk to us about?" Hermione asked. Amazingly, in my peripherals I saw Snape turn his head sharply at her words. I went on smoothly saying, "I've told you most of it already, I just wanted you there for support when I told Harry and Ron."

In my peripherals, I saw Snape freeze up. I knew what he was thinking. He thought that I told her who it was that night. Thankfully Hermione said, "Are you ever going to tell me who it was?"

"No," I said firmly. "That won't be for a while."

I saw Snape relax, but he was still wound up enough to yell at Neville when he got the wrong color when he was finished with his potion. Poor Neville. I felt bad for him. He never seemed to get ahead.

When class was finished Snape asked me to stay after. I lingered, promising to get to lunch as soon as we were done talking. As the last person shut the door behind them, Snape asked, "You don't plan on _telling_ them, do you?"

I felt like I was being hit with a ton of bricks. "I _have_ to tell them. They're my friends," I said incredulously.

"Can't you let it go on a bit longer?" he pleaded.

"I don't believe you!" I began. Then I really laid into him. "You tell me that I need to tell my parents right away because it would hurt their feelings if I didn't, a task we all knew was going to be made difficult because they would harass me about it, but when I want to tell my _friends_ to spare their feelings, something _much _easier than telling my parents, you ask me to keep my mouth shut!"

"I was just afraid that you would accidentally let slip that I was the father," he added defensively.

Completely over the edge at this point and not thinking about what I was saying, I yelled, "Why in the world would I tell someone that I was having a baby with _you_? You would be the worst candidate to father my child, following my brother and father!"

Instantly I regretted my words. I bit my lip, as if doing so could reel them back in and make them disappear. But the damage had already been done. The silence hung over us like a thick blanket; suffocating and unbearable. He had his poker face on, something I was accustomed to seeing at this point.

"I didn't mean-" I started. I didn't know how to finish the sentence. Luckily, Snape finished it for me.

"Leave my classroom," he said blankly. He opened his mouth and looked on the verge of saying something more and then closed it. Then when I didn't move, he said, "Well, what are you waiting for? GET OUT!"

Tears gathering in my eyes, I ran to the door, jerked it open, and fled to my dormitory so I could cry in peace.

_Poor Snape_, I thought. _He didn't deserve that. No one deserves to be spoken to that way._

_I just ruined any self-worth he might have had_, I thought miserably._ I was a complete and utter bitch._

After I cried out most of the tears, I washed my face in cold water and went to Herbology. Here we had another lecture on O.W.L.s, and I thought I was going to scream with boredom and frustration. The entire lesson all I could do was think about the horrible things I had said to Snape, and cringe at every thought. My friends all asked if I was ok, Draco as well. I was annoyed by Draco asking, mostly because I knew that he only asked to not seem like such a heartless asshole to Pansy who was draped over his arm the entire lesson. I told them that I was fine and pushed on with the plant that Professor Sprout was having us work with.

In Charms it was the same thing again. O.W.L.s and a spell to practice. By the time the lesson was done, I was absolutely starving, which was a new concept to me. I was a pro at going all day eating nothing, but apparently the baby in my stomach had different plans.

I ate as fast and as sloppily as Ron, causing even him to stop and stare. I paused for a moment to shrug and say, "I'm hungry," and then went back to stuffing my face. I looked at the Head Table; no Snape. My guilt soared and I felt a hollow feeling in my chest. Losing my appetite as quickly as it had come, I pushed my plate away and didn't touch another bite.

When dinner was over I took my friends and headed to the Astronomy Tower. We sat down on the floor and they all looked expectantly at me, waiting for me to start.

I took a deep breath; maybe I wasn't ready for this. But I pushed through and decided to say what I had to say.

"The night Voldemort came back, we were in a graveyard," I began. Harry nodded in confirmation and I started back up. "Harry and Voldemort dueled and when Harry had the chance he got away, leaving me behind."

Harry drew in breath quickly and spasmodically clenched his fist for a millisecond; it was the only way I knew that he was ashamed of himself. I mechanically put my hand over his, letting him know that I never blamed him.

I ploughed on. "Luckily my father was there and I thought he would take care of me. Voldemort propositioned that we all go back to my home to celebrate his coming back. As everyone started getting drunker, I just sat there and watched. Then a late arriver came into the room and everyone went silent."

I paused, unsure of how to go on. I decided to be direct about it. Just as I was about to open my mouth and start again, I saw Snape in the shadows. I was blown away. After what I had said to him that afternoon, he still wanted to be in the same vicinity as me? Our eyes locked, and he almost looked embarrassed for having been caught spying. I recovered from my shock and went on, noting that I should choose my words carefully while around him.

"Voldemort took the opportunity to tell everyone that I'm his daughter."

Harry and Ron gasped their surprised and literally leaned back from me, as if they could catch the fatal disease of being one of Voldemort's offspring. Before I let them say anything, I went on with my story, hoping that they would fixate on the pregnancy more than the fact that I was the daughter of his sworn enemy.

"I talked back to him a couple of times and he… forced one of his followers to- have sex with me."

At this Harry turned white, and Ron turned a shade of red I had never seen before. Of course he would. Ron was the brother to me that Draco had never been, prideful and protective of me at the same time.

"And now I'm pregnant with his baby," I concluded.

There was a full minute of silence. You could most likely have literally heard a pin drop. Then Harry said, "But it doesn't matter because you're going to have an abortion, right?"

I sucked in my breath and said, "No Harry. I'm not having an abortion."

I added hopefully, "I hope you can support me through this." I smiled the smile that he knew was reserved especially for him. It was the smile that had love, mirth and fondness mixed into it at the same time.

He stood up suddenly and said, "Support you? Support you through _this_?"

I sensed that this was heading in a bad direction. I took the hand that was hanging limply at his side and he pulled it away forcefully. I looked into his face and he was giving me a look of what I could only perceive as utter revulsion. I was shocked; I had never seen him give that sort of look to anyone in my life.

"You tell me that you're pregnant with another man's child and that you intend to keep it and you want me to _support_ you?" he said, nostrils flaring.

Ron and Hermione stood up and left- my eyes were locked with Harry's and we didn't even notice.

I stood up as well. "Harry, I know this is a lot to process, but I love you-"

"If you really love me you would have an abortion," he said as he cut me off.

I was appalled. Once again I felt fury building up in me and I had no problem letting it out.

"IF I LOVED YOU! You've never put a price tag on my loving you, but now you decide that if you are, this is going to be it!" I screamed, seething. I had completely forgotten that Snape was still in the shadows, listening to our row.

"Why suffer pregnancy and heartbreak when you could have an abortion?" Harry threw at me.

"Because that's the wrong thing to do Harry!" I said exasperatedly.

"I don't want to have to take care of a baby," Harry said.

"When did I ever say anything about you taking care of a baby!" I exclaimed. "All I did was ask if you would support me! Is that too much to ask!"

"Yes! You want me to be supportive of the fact that my girlfriend is pregnant with a baby that's not mine? That's a lot to ask! And I don't know if I can do it!"

"Then why don't we just break up? If you can't handle this, just leave me! I don't want you around!" I bellowed.

"Fine!" Harry yelled. He descended down the staircase and was soon out of sight.

"You selfish bastard!" I shrieked after him.

Not for the first time that day I dissolved into a pile of tears. I quickly sobered up when I heard movement. I looked up and saw Snape trying to get away without me noticing. Wanting to pick a fight and win it, I said loudly, "I hope you heard everything. I hope you had an earful of that!"

He turned around and said, "Yes. It was very amusing to watch."

I narrowed my eyes and said, "Didn't your mother teach you better manners than that?"

"My mother was an exceptional woman," Snape commented.

"Yeah, well, so is mine, what's new?" I muttered. I stood up and crossed to where he was standing.

"If you don't mind me saying, Potter seemed to be more selfish and presumptuous than usual," Snape said.

"As a matter of fact, I do mind," I declared. "Harry is not the least bit selfish and presumptuous…"

Even as I spoke the words I knew they were false. The tears started to fall again. In need of human contact, I seized Snape around the waist and didn't let go, crying myself sick from what had just happened.

_What a mixed up world this is, _I mused as I shuddered with sobs._ My relationship with my "loving" boyfriend has now ended and the man that I spoke to so hatefully earlier today is rubbing my back and saying soothing things to calm me down. Wait, what?_

Snape was indeed saying nonsense things in a soothing tone and patting my back to calm me. What a strange turn of events. Eventually I hiccupped my way to recovery from tears and pulled away from Snape. Awkward and unable to look him in the eyes, I said, "Thank you. I- I'm sorry about… About everything today. Earlier and just now."

"You're forgiven," he said shortly and walked away.

He left me standing there alone trying to contemplate, through my mind hazed over with tears, what had just happened.

_Authors Note #2: So this one was about twice as long as the others because I wanted all the events to be linked together and not separated and spread apart in your minds or in my mind. The scene where Katherine tells Snape that no one would want his child was inspired by the scene in Gone With the Wind where Scarlett tells Rhett that she is pregnant for the second time, adding on that, "No woman would want the child of a cad like you!" Ouch. I made Sev and Rhett's reactions pretty much the same if you've never seen the movie. Anyways, I think the next chapter will be in Sev's POV. Keep reading and keep enjoying! : )_


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_The one man who understands women is the surely the only genius who ever lived_, I thought to myself. _Why do they act so silly? One minute they hate you and then the next they're crying their eyes out in your arms. What finicky creatures._

But I had to admit, there was something about a woman being so defenseless in my arms and comforting her. I sat in the armchair of my living quarters and mulled things over.

_Does she hate me? Does she not care? No, if she didn't care she would never have said that she was sorry for the things she said. But then that must mean that she doesn't hate me either._

It was all so confusing. Not that I cared. But I did care. For whatever reason. If I didn't care I wouldn't have forgiven her.

_I forgave her because I know how horrible it feels to say nasty things you don't mean not because he cared._

I was instantly taken back to that day where James Potter lifted me onto a tree and exposed my underpants to the entire student body. The day where the woman I loved had come to my rescue. Where I had accidentally called the love of my life a mud-blood. Lily.

I knew the pain of non-forgiveness, and didn't want to inflict that pain on someone else.

Potter. He wasn't fit to lick the bottom of Miss Malfoy's shoe. Why she had ever given him the time of day I would never know. How he could be so selfish- well, like father, like son.

For no reason and for the millionth time, I thought about the baby.

_A baby. How in the world are we going to make this work?_

I knew that the Dark Lord would wish to take the baby and raise it on his own so he could produce an heir to take over if he passed. But knowing Miss Malfoy with her hate for him and the protectiveness she was already showing for this baby, she would never let that happen. It was going to be a power struggle between the two of them.

_If Miss Malfoy was going to keep the baby with her at all times, where would she keep it? She's coming to school and can't look after it all day every day._

I rubbed my temples, trying to clear my head of the thoughts that were running rampant and wouldn't give rest. Hoping reading a book would clear my mind I plucked a book from my shelves and attempted to read it. When it failed to provide an adequate distraction, I chucked it across the room. I rubbed my hands over my face and sighed.

_What is it about this girl?_

Then I realized that she wasn't the only woman who had been extremely protective of her child. Lily Evans died for her son.

_And a lot of good that did. In one night I lost the love of my life and she helped to keep alive the remnants of James Potter. The remnants that hurt Miss Malfoy tonight._

Why I was fixated on the fact that Miss Malfoy's feelings were hurt I didn't know. I sighed and got up to go to bed. I got dressed in my pajamas and laid down in bed. It was a long time until I could go to sleep.

_Authors Note: Hope you enjoyed that last chapter even though it wasn't the best work I've put out. Anyways, I want to know what you guys wanna see in the next chapter or so, because I am writing this for y'all. :) So "review" your comments on what you wanna read. :) I just thought this might be a nice change of pace. :) Until the next chapter! :)_


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_Support her? Support her!_

I was still seething from our encounter. What the hell was she thinking keeping that baby? And her being Voldemort's daughter! I quietly moaned in the abandoned Transfiguration classroom I had found to think.

_Anything I've said and done; she could've told him!_

I was close to banging my head against the wall from trusting someone so implicitly. I told her secrets that I didn't want many people to know.

_When Hagrid rescued me from the Dursley's he was my first real friend. How I had a crush on Hermione and she turned me down. How Sirius was like a brother to me and I wanted to live with him. And now the Order of the Phoenix. I told her that they knew about a weapon that he wanted and that they were trying to protect it._

While I had trusted her with secrets she had always kept her heart closed off from such things. For the most part. And now she hadn't even told me who the father was. I would like to kill the Death Eater who impregnated my girlfriend. Or the girl who used to be my girlfriend. Were we still together? She seemed mad enough to really mean what she had said.

I seized tufts of my hair and attempted to pull them out. I kicked a chair in frustration. I did love her; but this was something I couldn't do.

Back to the father. Who was it?

_I bet Hermione knows; they tell each other everything._

With that thought I felt the classroom and sought out Hermione. I went to the common room and she was sitting there with Ron, completely zoned out and crying while he absentmindedly patted her back to calm her. When they spotted me, they stood up. Hermione dried her eyes and said, "What's wrong Harry?"

"Why would anything be wrong?" I asked. "Well, you look like you could kill right now," she ventured carefully.

It was late and the common room was deserted. I sat down and said, "She plans on keeping her baby. I couldn't say anything that would change her mind."

I looked at Hermione and asked, "Do you know who the father is?"

She looked startled. "No, why would you ask me that?" she said.

"You two tell each other everything. I figured she might have told you who," I sighed and put my hands in my face. Then I had a thought and my head shot up. "Could you ask?" I questioned.

"NO!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast. "There's a reason why she didn't tell us. And we're not about to snoop around about it."

She narrowed her eyes at me and I knew that she meant to drop it and never mention it in front of her.

Ron mumbled, "You would think it was Snape since she's so secretive about it."

I laughed humorlessly. "Snape may be a lot of things and do a lot of things, but he would never do that. He hates his students too much. He would be absolutely repulsed by the idea."

"Well when we find out who it is mate, I'm going to kill him. Katherine is just as much a sister to me as my own is. If this had happened to Ginny or… I don't know what I would do," he concluded, not saying that it was Hermione he was thinking about. I knew that they loved each other. Neither of them knew it about the other though. They were infuriating.

"Where is she?" I asked Hermione.

"She's in bed; asleep. Don't bother her about this Harry. It's hard for her, and quite frankly you just made it worse. You were selfish and acted like a child tonight," Hermione stated.

I was appalled. "If anyone acted like a child it was her! She's being the selfish one by keeping the baby," I said with my voice rising and temper flaring. "You're saying this is hard for her when all she would have to do is have an abortion and make it easier for herself!"

Hermione shook her head. I heard footsteps coming from the girls dormitories and I saw Katherine standing on the last couple steps in a blue nightgown. Her arms were crossed and she was leaning against the wall. I started over to her and she put a hand out to stop me. I decided for once to do what she said.

"If you think that my life would be made easier by doing that then you never really knew or loved me. If you did understand me you would realize that in my mind this is the only solution," she said slowly and sadly. She didn't seem to be angry. It was as if all the anger had left her. She sighed and went back up the stairs.

I called out to her. She didn't come back. I stood staring at the steps where she had stood and wished she would come back down so I could try and convince her again. She didn't know what was best for her.

Hermione brushed past me and up the stairs calling a "goodnight" over her shoulder. Ron softly gripped my arm and took me up to our dormitories. I dressed for bed and laid down, my mind whirring with apprehension of tomorrow, in apprehension of another chance to convince her she was wrong. I didn't sleep at all.

_Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you guys will review and tell me what I can do better and about the things you want to see. Until the next chapter! :)_


	15. Chapter Fifteen

I woke up the next morning and didn't want to face the day. Or Harry for that matter. To avoid seeing him at meals, I almost skipped. Almost. But I was too hungry because I hadn't eaten much the day before. So I went to the kitchens to get something to eat. I tickled the pear and saw Winky, yet again, drunk. And it was so early in the morning! Usually she didn't get intoxicated until later at night. Soon I heard a high pitched squeak that sounded like my name and I was bowled over by one of the elves. "Miss Malfoy!" I heard the elf exclaim. I looked and saw that it was Dobby, my family's ex-house elf.

I had always loved Dobby. He was so queer and unusual and he was sweet. He always laughed at my jokes and loved me. He did anything I asked him to do, and he always did it with a smiling face. My family had always wondered why Dobby acted differently around me; I had always figured it was because I was the only one who hadn't treated him like a snot-rag.

I pulled myself up and said, "Dobby! How did you come to be here?"

He placed his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth in glee. "The headmaster hired me! And he's even paying me! And I get to wear real clothes."

This was indeed true. He had on the most garish colored, mismatched socks. He was wearing a shirt that would have fit a toddler and a bowler that threatened to fall off of his head while he was rocking back and forth. I thought it was a horrid ensemble, but he was proud of it and I was proud of him for doing so much for himself.

"I'm so proud of you Dobby!" I said warmly.

"Thank you Miss!" Dobby said in the voice he would have used when he was still serving us in my home. He brought back memories of a good childhood, one unspoiled by recent events.

"Dobby, do you think you could get me some breakfast?" I asked politely.

"Sure, but why is Miss not eating in the Hall?" he inquired.

Thinking quickly, I said, "I wanted to eat down here for a change."

"I'm glad you did! I'm glad to see you! Flower!" he called to another elf. The elf turned to him and Dobby said, "Get some breakfast for Miss Malfoy!"

The elf seemed to not like being bossed around, but she procured a small feast for me and I ate. I chewed my meal mechanically, not thinking about what I was doing. Dobby sat next to me that whole time and filled me in on what had happened since our family had let him go. I listened, but didn't really hear him. I was thinking about last night.

Finally I stood up and made my way to the exit. I stooped down and gave Dobby a hug. He hugged me back and I said, "I'll come and visit you as much as I can Dobby. I promise."

He replied by saying, "If you ever need me, call for me like you used to."

I nodded my head and made my way to Transfiguration class. We had another lecture on O.W.L.s, something that was getting to be extremely irritating after hearing it a lot. She gave us all a charm to work on and we worked on changing the color of each other's hair. Hermione managed to change mine to a fiery red, like something that would come out of a bottle. I looked in the mirror and laughed. It looked utterly ridiculous on me. She then managed to turn it back and when it came to be my turn I turned her into a platinum blonde. Surprisingly she looked good. Ron looked over and his mouth dropped open. Only when I turned her back was he able to go back working with Harry.

When class ended Hermione and I went to Arithmancy while Ron and Harry had an off period. After deriving the personality of one of the great witches of all time, Elizabeth I, Queen of England, Hermione and I made our way to lunch.

I sat as far away from Harry as I could. I didn't want to have another confrontation like last night. But it didn't matter if I was sitting in his lap, it wouldn't have changed a thing. He refused to talk to me. He kept throwing pointed looks in my direction. I ate in silence, stuffing my face again. No one commented on it this time; they all knew why I was eating so excessively. I turned my head and looked to the head table.

Snape was staring at me. We locked eyes and he didn't break eye contact. It became so weird for me; I had to be the one to turn away. _Weird, _I thought.

After our classes during the second half of the day, Harry grasped my arm and pulled me into a secluded corner of a hallway.

He only spoke one sentence to me. "Are you sure you're going to keep this baby?"

I nodded. He then turned away and didn't look back.

I skipped dinner and did some homework peacefully in the common room while everyone else was in the Great Hall. I finished fast, got up, and stretched. I looked at my watch. It was eight. And I was really hungry.

I went down to the Great Hall and they were still serving dinner. I sat down next to Ginny and ate in silence. I seemed to be doing a lot of that for the past couple of meals. Harry and Hermione were nowhere to be found, but Ron was still at the table.

I'm sure that if Ginny wasn't there he would've said more, but he simply said, "Harry loves you."

"No he doesn't," I replied. I shocked myself by the realization that I was right. With Harry it was about possessing a woman; it wasn't about love and communication.

When we were halfway through our fourth year he had begged me, nagged me, to have sex with him. I kept turning him down. I told him that I wasn't ready. But he kept nagging me and I had finally put my foot down and he had stopped. That was the only time I had ever gotten my way in our relationship. The virginity that I thought I was lovingly saving for him was really me just protecting myself from him, though I didn't know it at the time.

He wasn't truly mad at me because I wanted to keep the baby; he was mad because some other man had gotten to me first and the baby would have been a constant reminder of that. Never mind that the other man had taken me first because he was told to and it was essentially rape; Harry hadn't gotten his way and he wasn't pleased.

At this new revelation I got up from my chair and marched to the common room, ready to give him a piece of my mind and tell him what I thought of him now. But soon my anger was traded for a hollow, empty feeling.

_What good would it do?_ _He's still going to be the same person, and you're still going to keep your baby. There's no point in yelling at him._

I was suddenly tired and went to my bed. Hermione was there. She said nothing. I laid down and went to sleep, not even remotely ready for tomorrow to start.

_Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be in one of the Malfoy's POV. Maybe Draco, maybe Narcissa… I'm not sure. But it'll be one of them. Until next time! :)_


	16. Chapter Sixteen

"Narcissa I have given it much thought and I now see an upside to _my _daughter being with child. When this baby is born Narcissa, you will make her give it to you and you shall raise this one right. No screw ups this time," the Dark Lord threatened.

"Yes my Lord," I said quietly, my head bowed in supplication.

He had called for me and I had gone, completely terrified. I was afraid that he would hurt me, but he had only given me a directive- to take my child's child away from my only daughter. I didn't know how I would do it. I could already tell that my child loved the baby growing in her. It was so evident. I thought about telling the Dark Lord that, but I didn't need to. He had yet again probed my mind for what I was really thinking.

"I don't care if she loves that baby. I _will_ have it raised right this time. And it _will _be a boy. I was tricked last time by fate, and fate will not pull the wool over my eyes yet again. Find a way to take it from her- if she protests, make her forget it was ever hers. She can go without a baby. Find a way. I will not do all of the thinking for you Narcissa. I already have to do it for your worthless husband," he finished.

"You may go," he said with a waving of his hand.

I bowed my compliance and headed for the doors. I opened them and left silently, making sure to close the door without any sound coming from it; he hating the sound of banging doors. I walked to the study and entered. My husband was lounging on a couch waiting for me. He sat straight up when I entered.

"What did he want?" he asked.

I sighed and rubbed my temples; I was very tired all of a sudden. "He wants me to take the baby when it is born and raise it. I do not know how I can take it from her. She is already protective of it."

A lone tear slid from my husband's eye.

"I fear that all of this has been caused by me," Lucius confessed. "If I hadn't let her go like that…"

All of a sudden I heard a clear voice full of passion. "Lucius, you mustn't fret. And you mustn't act like giving your daughter to the Dark Lord's plan is the end of the world. If I had any children myself I would gladly give them to the Dark Lord's service," was the obsessive voice of my sister, Bella.

"You have such a weak husband Cissy. He is much too soft," she jeered. It was always a competition between the two of us, one I had never participated in. "Rudolphus is strong and decisive. Teach Lucius to be like that."

Then my husband said, "But then again, Bella, you must not like your husband very much since you spend more nights with the Dark Lord than with your husband."

My sister didn't flinch at the suggestion of her infidelity. "There is nothing wrong with being in love… Or having ambition. I suggest you get some before you run your family into the bottom rung on the ladder of power."

And with that she left.

I turned to my husband. "Bella is wrong. My child is not some sacrificial lamb. Her heart is involved. I do not know if I can do the task that has been assigned me."

Once again a few tears slid down my husband's cheeks. "It is my fault. I needed to stop him. And I'm afraid that our daughter hates me now for it."

I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he put his face in his hands and cried freely. I rubbed circles on his back and tried to tell him it wasn't his fault, that there was nothing he could have done. He was inconsolable.

When Lucius had finished crying he went to bed. I stayed in the study, not tired anymore and unsure of what to do. I decided to pen my daughter a letter.

_Katherine,_

_Here at home our hearts bleed for you. Your father and I wish that fate had not dealt you these cards, but sadly it did. Keep strong darling. Do not let the pettiness of things that people say get to you; you may not be the master of your own fate, but you are the master of your own emotions._

_I urge you to start thinking about the future of your baby. Perhaps it would be best to have the baby stay with me? Delivery may seem like a long six months away, but in fact it is a short period of time. During this time think of what is best for your baby- and for yourself._

_Draco has told me that your relationship with Harry Potter has ended because of your pregnancy. Not from the point of view of a wife of someone in the Dark Lord's inner circle, but from the point of view of a mother, I am glad that this happened. If he doesn't want you at your worst, he does not deserve you at your best. Words my mother taught me, and words that every woman should live by._

_I love you sweetheart. I may not be your birth mother, but I have been a mother to you in every single other way. Remember that._

_With all my love,_

_Mum_

_P.S: Write your father soon. He searches for an owl from you every day and is always disheartened when he does not get one. He still loves you very much._

I rolled the parchment up and tied it with a string. I called for our family owl, Euripides, and tied the roll to his leg. He took off into the night sky.

I went to go to sleep with my husband.

_Author's Note: I made Narcissa into a loving mother simply because the books find her to be a rude and pompous person when they make her, at the very last second in the series, into a loving mother. I'm sure that the love didn't magically appear when her son started fighting for his life, so I wrote about this side of her. I like it a lot and I hope you guys do too. As always, review what you think and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S: If any of you are interested, I have a new story called "Severus's Secret"._


	17. Chapter Seventeen

I see her walking around like a zombie. I didn't know what to say. What could I say? She was my best friend, the sister I had never had, and yet I was at a loss of how to comfort her.

I knew that her break up with Harry was, and still is, extremely hard on her. They haven't spoken in days. I think Harry is generally a nice person, but he's been an absolute git about everything.

He's always telling Ron that she'll come around and stop acting so childish, when really he's being the child by not understanding what an adult decision she's made. It takes courage to be a pregnant fifteen year old, even when it's not by your own design. It takes courage to do the right thing, and it truly is right what she was doing.

I had been raised in a Christian home, so my values were the same as hers. I understood why she didn't believe in abortion. When I told Harry this he wouldn't listen; like the child he is.

I can't stand to see her in such pain; she needs to know that he's not worth the misery.

I'm going to tell her that as soon as possible.

_Author's Note: I know this was a really short chapter and if you couldn't tell it was in Hermione's POV. Hope you enjoyed! :)_


	18. Chapter Eighteen

I woke up one morning feeling particularly well. I was in a good mood and it was a nice change of pace. I went down to the Great Hall and had some breakfast. Harry didn't talk to me, as usual, but Hermione and Ron were laughing and smiling. I guess I was too. Everything was just so nice. Too bad it didn't stay that way.

In between the first and second class of the morning I went to the loo. While I was in one of the stalls, I heard Pansy Parkinson come in. I stayed quiet; I didn't want to have to talk to her.

Apparently she was with one of her girlfriends and she was crying. Anyone could have heard her sobbing from fifteen miles away.

"Are you sure?" came the voice of Millicent Bulstrode.

"Yes I'm sure!" Pansy snapped through her tears. "I have to get a pregnancy test potion again. If I'm pregnant, my parents will kill me!"

"And you're sure that if you are pregnant Draco is the father?" Millicent asked.

"I stopped seeing Blaise behind Draco's back a long time ago… It would definitely be Draco's," Pansy confirmed.

"Have you told him?" Millicent inquired.

"Yes, but he says that his parents wouldn't care so much since they have something else going on at home that's apparently far more important… But, oh, my parents would kill me!"

When Pansy's tears were subdued they left the restroom. My blood was boiling in fury. How could Draco let himself do this again? He was being utterly stupid. I decided to confront him.

I cornered him before he went into the Great Hall for lunch.

"We have to talk," I demanded.

He shrugged nonchalantly and strutted insolently behind me while I walked over to a secluded corner to talk.

"Why are you having another pregnancy scare?" I demanded.

His pupils dilated slightly; it was the only way I knew that he was surprised at my question.

"These things happen Katherine. Normal people have sex and actually _enjoy_ it."

I knew this was an insult to me but I didn't care. "_Normal people_ don't start having sex when they're fourteen and have two pregnancy scares before they even turn sixteen! You are out of control Draco! One would have thought that with the first time it would have scared you into not having sex, but apparently not. I'm going to write Mum and Dad this time, and nothing you say is going to stop me!"

I turned on my heel and went up into my dormitory, not hungry in the slightest. I wrote a letter to my mother and father, detailing what I had heard, what Draco had told me, and about the last time this had happened. I rolled it up, tied it, and looked at my watch. Transfiguration was about to start.

I sprinted down to the classroom, and while I was there I decided to send it afterwards, during my off time.

When Transfiguration was finished, I went to the owlery. I called to one of the school owls and tied the letter onto its leg and let it go, watching it fly away.

_There, _I thought satisfied. _My work is done._

I went down to the Great Hall and ate dinner. After homework and chatting with Hermione and Ginny, I went to bed.

-o-

I woke up the next morning with an odd feeling in my stomach. I brushed it off as hunger, got dressed, and went to the hall for breakfast. I stuffed my face, as I was wont to do nowadays and no one commented. They were used to it at this point.

I was four months along at this point. My slight figure was beginning to show a small amount of gained weight, but nothing really noticeable. The owls came in for the morning. I looked up and was surprised to see my family's owl, Euripides, and followed its movements till it came to rest in front of my brother.

With a confused look on his face, he untied the scroll from the owl's leg and Euripides took off. He unfurled the letter and read its contents. His face turned red after the first couple of sentences, and by the end of the letter he was shaking. He looked right at me and now I knew why he was trembling. It was because he was seized with unnatural fury. I jerked my head at him as if to say, "It's only what you deserve."

He cornered me on the way out of breakfast. All he said was, "You'll be sorry for that."

I wasn't bothered by the statement; he had been saying stuff like that all my life. I wasn't afraid of him. I walked down to the dungeons with Hermione and we entered the Potions classroom. We sat down at our usual desk while Draco kept throwing angry looks in my direction and whispered to Crabbe and Goyle.

Snape assigned the potion that we would be working on today and let us loose. Hermione and I started in our mechanical, machine-like rhythm that we had developed over the past few years. Everyone was working silently until Draco suddenly called out, "You seem to have gained a little bit of weight Katherine."

Crabbe and Goyle snickered by his side; I ignored all three of them.

"So Katherine, since you won't talk to me anymore-"

"Mr. Malfoy! There is to be no talking in my classroom," Snape threatened.

"I was only inquiring, _Professor, _about Katherine's pregnancy since she won't talk to me anymore."

The entire room went silent. I think my heart stopped for a full three seconds. Even Professor Snape was completely shocked. But he soon recovered and said, "What a ridiculous question to ask Mr. Malfoy. Twenty points from Slytherin for talking out of turn."

"But its true Professor," Draco insisted. He directed this next part at me, "How does your father feel about you being pregnant?"

I was blown away. I didn't imagine he would openly let everyone know I was pregnant, and now he was about to tell everyone who my father was? I recovered quickly and said, "You should know Draco; he's your father too."

Draco wasn't discouraged by this in the least. He pressed on, "No, we don't share the same father. I want to know what your real-"

"Detention, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape yelled at the top of his lungs.

It didn't deter him, "-father, Lord Voldemort, thinks about all of this."

"A month's detention, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape yelled.

But it didn't matter. Everyone knew now. I didn't know what to say or do. I felt betrayed- even though I had done the same thing. But I didn't do it on such a public level like he did; one where I could be persecuted daily for who I was.

The entire room was silent as Draco grinned in malicious glee and Snape's chest heaved up and down in fury.

I whipped my head around to Harry, to see his reaction. He was looking at his fingernails; he didn't care. Hermione was horrified, Snape white as a sheet and Ron looked ready to kill. I saw every single one of my classmate's expressions. Horror, shock, incredulity, evil merriment. Time slowed down as my eyes swam with tears and I ran from the room.

I ran to the Room of Requirement and hid out there for a long time. I cried in shock and self-pity. I cried myself to sleep, woke up, looked at my watch, saw it was only two in the afternoon, and then cried some more. Around five PM, the time classes for the day usually ended, I heard the door to the Room open.

I couldn't believe someone other than me knew how to get in.

I shielded my face with my hands, hoping that the intruder wouldn't get a proper glimpse of who I was, and know that I had been crying. I was sure I looked like hell.

"There's no need for that Miss Malfoy," came the familiar, drawling voice of my Potions Master. I peeked through my fingers and saw that it was truly him.

I didn't want anyone to see me in this state, so I said "Go away!" through my hands.

"For God's sake-" came his voice, full of irritation. He strode over to where I stood and roughly pulled my hands away from my face. I turned my face so he wouldn't see the blotchy, tear-stained mess that it was. He grasped both my wrists in one hand, pulled my face around with the other and said, "Don't be such a child!"

He held my eyes for a long time. After a while I started to cry. He pulled away from me awkwardly and said, "None of that."

He gave me his handkerchief and this time I didn't refuse it. I wiped my eyes and he asked, "Why did he do that?"

I sucked in my breath and said, "Because I wrote a letter to our parents telling them that Draco had a pregnancy scare with Pansy. For the second time."

He stood there for a moment, thoughtfully and said, "Firstly I'll have to talk to Dumbledore about better provisions between male and female students so something like that doesn't ever happen again. Secondly, I'll be writing your mother and father about your brother's heinous misbehavior and the way he's treated you."

He stepped closer to me and continued in a softer voice. "Thirdly, I gave him detention until Christmas Break for what he did."

I felt a little relieved at this, but it still didn't solve my problem. But he did in what he said next.

"If anyone bothers you, tell any teacher and they will handle it. Understand?"

I nodded my understanding and handed the handkerchief back to him.

"Keep it," he said passively. "I've got tons."

He took me out into the hallway where we split into two different directions. He went to the dungeons and I went to the common room.

I stepped into the portrait soon enough to see Harry stand up on a table and say, "Listen up everyone, I'm only going to say this once. I AM NOT THE FATHER OF KATHERINE'S BABY. IT IS NOT MY CHILD."

I coughed and everyone whipped their heads around to look at me. Harry looked sheepish at having been caught at being a complete and utter ass. It seemed as though everyone expected me to say something. So I did.

"You're an asshole Harry James Potter," I said with a narrowing of my eyes. "You're definitely not the father of my child, but it's not like you didn't try. You fucking hypocrite."

With that I walked up the stairs to my bed and flopped down on it. I went to sleep instantly.

_Author's Note: You guys may think I have absolutely no life because this is like the fifth chapter I've posted today, plus another couple of chapters to another one of my stories, but I just had an insane amount of downtime today. I have a life! I promise! Even though the social life of a band geek is quite fragile (cough, cough). :) I'm just kidding. Anyways, comment on what you want to see next, and anything that you like/didn't like! Until next chapter! :)_


	19. Chapter Nineteen

I sat at my desk in the Ministry, rubbing my temples, trying to clear my head of everything that had gone on the past couple of days.

_My son has possibly gotten a girl pregnant, my daughter is pregnant, and now my son hates my daughter enough to let the whole school know she's pregnant and the daughter of the Dark Lord._

I looked over at my shelf of books, one of them off the shelf and lying on my desk. It was a parenting book.

_I'm sure that's going to be very useful now._

Severus had sent me a letter detailing everything that had happened in his own classroom, stressing that he had tried to stop it and my daughter's stress at all that had happened.

I sighed. Katherine was really such a fragile flower. She wasn't meant for this world. Even though she never thought like us, I knew, we all knew, that she was so much better than us.

She was so delicate. Her emotions were easily tempered, and usually it was sorrow that flared. She wasn't attention seeking in the slightest; she just felt things more keenly.

And us being frozen from the world, and truly from ourselves most of our lives, had never understood her.

And that's why I had let her go.

I thought she could've held her own. But again, like a flower in a snowstorm, she had crumbled.

But there were those rare times, where her anger could get the best of her and she could lash out and protect her heart.

I hoped that those moments would be more often now, so she could protect herself- and the baby.

_The baby._

I groaned inwardly. This was my punishment. To see my little girl go through such a trial at only fifteen years old. This was my punishment for letting her go.

I hoped that her God would help her through this. I was in her room one day and found this thing called the Bible. It told of a vengeful but loving God. It told of how you could be "saved". I read the whole book cover to cover during many sleepless nights.

I had Dobby follow her one week and he reported that she had gone to a chapel. She had found religion.

I didn't try to stop her. I knew she would at some point in her life, and I knew that that she had always felt some lost satisfaction in her life. This was the filling that would into the hole in her heart and make it whole again.

Not that Narcissa and I hadn't tried; there was just a part of her that needed more than what we could offer.

The part of her that needed to know about the mother and father that we had shielded her from. In the book it had said that the God was a father to all of creation, and that anyone who followed him was one of his children. I understood why she needed religion and why it was so appealing.

I let her be.

Raising Draco was a completely different matter. He had been sure of himself and completely self-sufficient. His personality was completely different from hers. I was proud of the way Draco had turned out. So cool and confident. But I didn't raise him to be such an idiot to not use contraception.

When we had gotten the letter from Katherine, Narcissa had cried.

"Our family is falling apart!" she had yelled through her tears.

If there was one thing I couldn't stand it was to see my wife cry. So I wrote a letter to Draco, telling him off and saying that I was disappointed that he had let a couple of hours of fun come to this.

_Think about the pain and misery your sister is going through right now, _the letter had said. _Do you really want yourself and Pansy to have the same?_

And because of that letter, Draco had "let slip" everything about Katherine.

_I'm such a horrible father_, I mused. _I can't keep my family in line._

One of the Unspeakables walked past my door. It made my fingers instantly itch for the prophecy. I could get it though; only the maker and whom the prophecy was about could take it from the shelf. Which meant the Dark Lord, Potter, and that crazy woman that Dumbledore kept locked up in one of the towers at Hogwarts.

I didn't know how we were going to get the prophecy. I just had to trust that the Dark Lord had a plan for it.

Everything was so complicated.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! :)_


	20. Chapter Twenty

I took a sick day the day after the incident with Draco. And the next day. And the next. By that time, Saturday had come around and it was a Hogsmeade day. I figured that most people would be out of the school, except for the first and second years. I didn't mind about them. They didn't know who I was and most likely hadn't heard that I was pregnant. I ventured out of my room and went to the library, somewhere I knew no one would be today.

With my luck, I ran into Snape. Literally right into him. As I was rounding a corner, he was doing the same and I bumped into him with such force that I was literally knocked over. Such is the price to pay for being so small. He just stood there as I helped myself up and leaned against the wall.

"Are you alright?" he questioned.

I nodded my answer and he said, "Go see your teachers on Monday about all the work you have missed. I assume you were sick."

I nodded feverishly and said, "I came down with a horrid cold that night and I was hard put to leave bed. I was very sick."

"Then why didn't you go to the Hospital Wing?" he asked.

Curse him. To save face in front of my intimidating teacher, I quickly said, "I believe in working things out with time- not potions."

"I'm sure," he said in his drawling, mocking voice.

I cleared my throat. I tried to move past him but he caught my arm. My heart raced. Was he going to mock me further?

"I've sent a letter to your parents. They are worried about you. They want you to write as soon as possible."

I nodded my assent and tried to move away, but he gripped my arm tighter. I sighed. _What now?_

"If you cared to know, along with you, Miss Parkinson is with child," he said carefully.

My heart dropped into my shoes. I felt myself go pale. Not for Draco or Pansy, but for the poor child. Pansy was likely to do away with it; it wouldn't even be given the chance to live.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. Perhaps I had always been this way, or the mothering instincts that I was developing were running rampant and latching onto another child, but I felt like I needed to convince Pansy to not do away with it.

"Thank you," I said in a strangled voice. I tried to walk away for the third time and he still held onto my arm.

"One more thing Miss Malfoy. We need to talk about what will be done. With-"

Without even finishing his sentence he just glanced down at my slightly swelled abdomen.

He coughed and said awkwardly, "I want you to come to my office this afternoon at two."

I nodded in consent and for the fourth time tried to walk away. This time he let me.

I went into the library and reached for the biography on Nicholas Flamel. It was on a different shelf this time, one higher up that I couldn't reach. I tsked at the thoughtless person who had done this and called for Madame Pince.

After she had gotten the book for me and stared at me awkwardly for a good, long thirty seconds, I started to read. I didn't get very far into it because I was too distracted about Pansy and Draco. I decided to try and find Pansy, but didn't know where I would find her.

I walked to the Slytherin portrait and, with my good fortune, found her there, sulking in the entryway.

She saw me and her eyes widened to the size of galleons. She tried to scurry back into the portrait, but I caught her before she could.

"Pansy!" I pleaded. "Please- talk to me!"

She looked at my small, child-like hand grasping her own pale one and looked into my eyes. I don't know what she found, but she nodded her assent and allowed me into the common room. I followed her to her room where she collapsed into a grieving mess. Unsure of how to proceed since I didn't necessarily like her because she, like Crabbe and Goyle, had snubbed me often enough, I patted her back awkwardly. But there she was, crying her sorrow into my arms and I was soon able to whisper, "Shh…" over and over in a rhythmic tone.

When her tears were wasted she lifted her blotchy face so her eyes could meet mine. With a completely helpless look on her face, she asked, "What should I do?"

I was blown away. I wasn't an expert on any of this. If anything, I probably wasn't the best person to talk to since my entire life was fucked right now. But she looked at me pleadingly and with a millisecond of debate I said, "I think you should keep it."

"Why?" she implored.

I sucked in my breath and said, "Because… because at the end of the day you won't feel so empty on the inside from having forsaken your own baby."

She looked like she understood this completely. She nodded solemnly and laid her head in my lap.

_Weird turn of events_, I thought to myself. Then she whispered, "My parents are going to kill me."

My heart broke at those words. Here was this piteous creature who had just cried her heart out because she was unsure of what to do for herself, and now she was worried about what other people would do or say. I then realized that this was just how I had acted for the past few days. I knew I was lucky; my parents had understood. But I knew that Pansy's parents would be none too thrilled at their sixteen-year-old daughter being pregnant.

I just stroked her hair and said, "Everything is going to be alright."

After about a half hour of some more crying, she was extremely tired and crawled under the covers to go to bed. I looked at my watch. 1:45. Just enough time for me to get to Snape's office.

I left Pansy's room and went down the spiraling staircase to the common room. It was completely deserted. I left and went deeper into the dungeons to find Snape's office. I stood there, hesitantly. After a few silent seconds I knocked on the door. I heard an instant, "Come in" to my entreaty. I opened the door and Snape was lounging in his chair reading a book with some reading glasses on.

_How strange_, I thought. _I didn't know that he needed glasses to read._

He sat up and began our conversation.

_Author's Note: I thought it would be more dramatic if Pansy was pregnant too. But it may not necessarily turn out the way that I've laid it out here. (Dum dum dum…) I have plans for Pansy. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Until next chapter! :)_


	21. Chapter Twentyone

I paced the floors in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor, Nagini at my side.

There was some tragedy afoot, something about Draco getting some girl pregnant. I cared not for this incessant drama.

I focused on my daughter. I needed the baby that she was pregnant with. But how to do it?

I had retracted the mission from Narcissa; she was much too worthless, like her husband.

Perhaps if I appeased her with something I could dangle in front of her, something that would take her mind off of her child; I could snatch it from her and she would never notice.

Plans were beginning to form in my mind. And I intended to see them through.

_Author's Note: There's a plot afoot! What is Voldemort planning? We'll see later. :) (insert evil laugh here)_


	22. Chapter Twentytwo

I sat up in my chair and cleared my throat. _Merlin, this is going to be hard._

I motioned for her to sit down and she did. She sat primly, with her back straight, knees crossed, and her hands folded on top of them.

_She was probably taught that way since she could walk, _I thought. I brushed the thought out of my mind and tried to focus on the task at hand. But then she looked at me.

She looked at me with an inquisitive twist of her plum lips. Her dark, doe-like eyes had such an innocent look to them; it was as if she had never seen any evil in her life. Her slim face was framed by wisps of hair that had escaped her bun, the black of her hair contrasting with the paleness of her skin.

I mentally shook myself of such thoughts, cleared my throat again, and began.

"Miss Malfoy, what exactly do you plan on doing with-"

Again, I was so awkward I couldn't finish my sentence. She finished it for me.

"Baby? Well… I don't want to give it to my parents," she stated.

This was going to be an interesting explanation. "Explain," I directed her.

"I don't want… Voldemort to get to her. Or him."

She seemed to ponder on the baby's sex. I assume by the look on her face that she hadn't thought about it yet.

"I'm going to be frank with you Miss Malfoy," I began in a monotone voice that I reserved for doling out bad news to highly emotional people. "Voldemort wants that baby- especially if it will be a boy."

She recoiled at the thought. I saw a host of emotions play across her face. Horror, anger, defensiveness, and then thoughtfulness.

"Why does he want a boy more than a girl?" she asked.

_How are you going to tell her this? Better she knows that she knows the facts. Besides, she doesn't care if the Dark Lord loves her or not._

"When you were born the Dark Lord felt he had been cheated by fate. He was bitterly disappointed that you were a girl. He wants this chance with you to have a grandson to raise an heir," I told her in a concise manner.

She pouted slightly and huffed under her breath, "Men." And then something I could barely make out, "Queen Elizabeth."

I almost laughed. I knew what she was thinking about. How King Henry VIII had wanted a son desperately and when he got one he died at around age twelve. And then one of the most successful monarchs to ever live, Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter that King Henry thought would never succeed, took the throne and ruled England justly and well for many years.

It was a tale that had the words "be careful what you wish for" and "women can rule just as well as men" written all over it.

But instead of laughing I turned a stern face to her and made her realize the gravity of the situation.

"Be that as it may, would you want _any_ child of yours coming under the care of the Dark Lord?"

Vanity soon disappeared and alarm rushed over her face. "Of course not!" she exclaimed.

I leaned back in my chair into a serious pose. She composed her face and said, "I want to keep my baby with me. At. All. Times."

I was surprised at how much passion she put into her voice. _She truly loves this baby, no matter how it came about._

I cringed inwardly again. It was something I hadn't learned to get over. I knew that it was all of my fault. But something beautiful had come of it. Onto the next topic of conversation.

"Miss Malfoy, there comes a time in a man's life-" _No this wasn't how I wanted to approach it._

I began again. "I've realized now the things I want in-" _Not this way either._

By this time she was getting uneasy. I could tell by the way she squirmed slightly in her chair. I decided to get right to the point.

"I want to be there when the baby is born," I blurted out, unable to say it any other way.

For a moment all that was on her face was complete shock. She sat so still that it was like she had been frozen in time. Soon it all melted away into confusion.

"Why?" she inquired.

"Do I need a reason why?" I growled. _Way to make an ass of yourself._

She leaned back in her chair, as if she was scared of me. I sighed and said, "Miss Malfoy, this is likely the only child I will ever have. And- I know that with what I do every day, there's a good chance every day that I could be killed."

I paused. "Do you understand?"

She nodded yes, and blushed slightly with the shyness of a third year with their first crush. But I know that a crush was the farthest thing from her mind; it was the delivery room.

I stood up and she did the same. We stared at each other across the desk for a few seconds and then I moved to the door. I opened it for her and she obligingly left.

I went back to reading my book.

_Author's Note: Not sure if I have much to say, other than, hope you liked it! As always, review comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	23. Chapter Twentythree

I walked into the common room to see that many of the people who had gone to Hogsmeade had returned. I tried to step into the portrait so as not to gain the attention of everyone, but as soon as someone called out for me, the entire room went silent and everyone's heads turned to look at me.

I held my chin up and went over to Hermione and Ron. As soon as I sat down with them, the room went back to its usual buzzing noise.

Hermione leaned over and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I came out of my hole today and actually socialized; I think that means progress." I made a small smile and Hermione grinned. But it soon faded away into something serious.

"You should have seen it Katherine," Ron started. "After you left, Snape got really quiet and told everyone that class was cancelled for the day. But he told Malfoy to stay so he could have a 'word' with him."

"And _some of us_," Hermione said pointedly, "Stood at the door and listened to him scream and yell about it."

"Hey, I wasn't the only one!" Ron said defensively. "Some other people did too!"

I shook my head at them. They were always fighting and disagreeing. Why couldn't they date and be done with it?

Hermione turned to me and said tentatively, "The way Snape was talking, it sounded like he knew everything about the pregnancy. Why would he know all of that?"

My heart and mind raced at a million miles an hour. What was I going to tell them so I wouldn't give anything away?

"Oh, you know," I said quickly. "He's a spy for Dumbledore and he's always there at the Death Eater meetings. He must have overheard bits and pieces here and there and assumed the rest."

"Oh," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Harry stepped through the portrait hole and Ron and Hermione tensed up. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Um," Hermione said distractedly. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

"Yeah right," I commented. I turned to Ron and asked him. He never lied to me, even if it was to save my feelings.

"Well…" he shot Hermione an apologetic look and continued. "Harry went on a date with Cho Chang today."

I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Harry with another girl?

I pasted on a sarcastic face though and said, "Good for him. Let's go for the girl without any strings."

_Lord knows she's got enough going on to keep him occupied._

Hermione placed her hand on mine and said, "I know this is a shock-"

"It's nothing," I said. I shoved the image of Harry and Cho snogging out of my mind.

Harry walked over to us and said, "Hello."

I murmured a quick hello and then moved out of the way. I went to the stairs that led to the dormitory and started up. I turned around and watched the trio for a minute. Harry had sat in my spot and was sprawled out in an insolent, indolent way. Hermione glanced in my direction and when she saw I was looking at her, held my gaze for five seconds. I turned away and headed up the stairs.

I got upstairs and flopped down on my bed. So many things had happened today. Pansy, Snape and now the knowledge that Harry and Cho Chang were an "item". I wanted to throw up. And I did.

I attributed this to morning sickness, which was slowly tapering off. I hadn't had it in a week.

As soon as I was done retching, I sat down on my bed and felt a fluttering in my stomach. Worried I was going to throw up again, I ran back over to the wastebasket. Nothing. I felt the fluttering again and realized that it wasn't morning sickness, but I was feeling the baby move.

At first I felt strange. But then after I realized how real it was, I began to feel elated. I had to share this with someone!

I ran downstairs and started over to the trio, but Harry turned around and gave me the most piercing stare I had ever been on the receiving end of. Wondering what I had done to deserve this, I changed my course and ran out of the portrait.

_I don't have to tell anyone about this, _I thought to myself sullenly.

I ran and hid out in the library. I didn't come out until dinner.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review what you want to see next and what you like/didn't like. Until next chapter! :)_


	24. Chapter Twentyfour

I felt so alone. At one of the most momentous moments in my pregnancy, I hadn't even been able to tell my best friend about it.

And then I got angry.

_Why am I letting Harry control my life? I'm going to be around Hermione and Ron whenever I want. No more of this awkward bullshit. If he doesn't like it, _he_ can leave. He's the one who started all this drama anyways. He's the one with the problem._

I went to the Great Hall for dinner and chatted amiably for a few minutes with Hermione and Ron. And then I oh-so-casually knocked out two birds with one stone.

"So, Harry and I had pretty big days today. Harry went on a date with Cho Chang and I felt the baby kick for the first time."

Hermione squealed in delight, one of the only times I had ever heard her do such a thing.

"The baby kicked? That's wonderful!" she gushed. Even Ron was grinning. Harry on the other hand seemed pissed.

"Who told you I went on a date with Cho?" he demanded. "It's none of your business, now is it?" I challenged him.

Hermione and Ron pushed the food around on their plates and Harry noticed this. "You two did, didn't you?" he accused.

Exasperated, I said, "What does it matter Harry? It's not like you're seeing her behind my back. We're not dating anymore."

I added on, "Furthermore, I don't appreciate the way you've been treating me for the past month. Just because we had a difference in opinions doesn't mean that we can't keep being friends. We broke up. Fine. But don't act like a woman scorned over it."

As I spoke my voice became increasingly louder and louder. Not everyone at the Gryffindor table could hear it, and nobody from neighboring tables could hear it, but a quick glance over to the head table told me that Snape could hear every single word. And he was _laughing._

_Strange, _I thought.

I calmed down and said, "Just treat me like a human being, okay?"

He stared into my face and had this expression on his own; it was like he was really seeing me for the first time in months. After what I could only assume was some soul searching, he said, "I'm sorry. I've been acting like an ass. I had no right. Can you forgive me?"

I forgave him because I knew him well enough to know the expression that would come over his face when he was secretly damning himself on the inside. And he was wearing it right now.

We hugged, the first time in ages, and went back to eating our meal. For the first time in maybe months, I felt good about where I was emotionally. Harry seemed to finally trust me again.

Little did I know that that trust was fragile and was going to break soon in the form of a breakup with Cho Chang. But that would come later

For the time being, I was happy. I had all of my friends back and I felt secure in who I was for the first time in months since I learned of my pregnancy and of my heritage. There was nothing like a well-cured friendship.

Not everyone approved though. Snape didn't, and neither did Cho, both for pretty similar reasons.

Like I said, that comes in later. But for now- security.

_Author's Note: I thought I would write this to bridge a bunch of months together because in either the next chapter or the next couple of chapters I will be skipping pretty much the entire month of November and then part of October and December to get to a momentous part of my storyline. I'll just wing it. We'll see how it happens. :) As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next few chapters! :) Until next chapter! :)_


	25. Chapter Twentyfive

The month moved on.

Harry and Cho were always together, and Ron and Hermione were always bickering. There was the Halloween Feast and then November arrived.

By this time I was about five months into my pregnancy. I felt that I could trust Harry again, and he felt the same way. Cho didn't like us being together at all; she would get to the point that if he and I were sitting together, she would sit in between us and have him focus all his attention on her. I would then get up and move away awkwardly.

She would sometimes get into tiffs with him that would last for a couple of days; these tiffs would always be about how he spent "too much time with me". But then she would recover and be as in love with him as before.

I offered to go and appease her one time, but Harry's eyes became huge as galleons as he waved his hand around emphatically and nearly screamed, "NO!"

I never offered again.

Cho wasn't the only one who wasn't happy with me being friends with Harry again. One time after Potions class, Snape asked me to stay after and told me that he didn't like my being friends with Harry.

"Think of the way he hurt you," he had insisted.

But I, being all high and mighty, refused to listen to him. I wish I had.

Pansy talked to me weekly about her baby. No one knew but the two of us; she decided to tell her parents later and she hadn't even told Draco yet.

There was a distinct glow about her when she talked about her baby. She gushed over and over about how glad she was that I had convinced her to not do away with it. I was happy that she was happy.

She apologized for having snubbed me so many times in the past. I forgave her like I forgave Harry; I knew people could change. But unlike Harry, Pansy stayed the same. When Harry turned cold, she still had unwavering loyalty towards me.

She wasn't my best friend per se, like Hermione was, but when Hermione left seventh year she became that for me. Because I needed that companionship desperately.

I realize I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to fifth year.

I wasn't there when it happened, but I wish I was. It was November 3rd, a Friday, about to reach the two month mark into Pansy's pregnancy. Snape fetched me at dinner time and told me she had taken a fall.

I ran to the hospital wing. Pansy was lying there, bloody and unconscious. I turned to Madame Pomfrey and asked her what had happened. She gave me a shrug and a dismissal. I was turned away from the wing.

Outside the doors, I didn't know what to do next. My brain was fuzzy. It reached a sudden clarity and I ran to Dumbledore's office. Surely he would know what had happened.

I ran up the stairs as fast as my waddling pregnant body would allow me. I reached the door and pounded on it rapidly. I heard a noise of assent for me to come in and I flung the door open, panting and my heart racing.

Draco sat in one of the chairs, calm, cool and collected. "Oh," I said in a smallish voice.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you like to tell your sister what just happened?" Dumbledore asked, in a voice that let someone know that it wasn't a request.

Pansy taking a fall and then whatever this was on top of it? This was too much. Draco then proceeded to tell me what he had done.

Apparently Pansy and Draco had had a conversation about the baby in common room together. He wanted her to get rid of it and she didn't. He had made a huge scene about it and stomped up the stairs. Pansy had followed him and tried to make things better. She had laid a hand on his arm and he had flung it away. Not realizing how close she was to the edge of the step she was standing on, she had toppled all the way down the stairs.

Draco hadn't even gone to get help. He had just walked the rest of the way up the stairs.

I stood in shock and horror because of what he was telling me and the way he told it. He told the story in a cold, monotonous voice, as if he didn't care what happened to Pansy.

Then I thought about the baby._ Oh dear God…_

I asked Draco, "Have you even thought about the baby?"

"I don't want to think about the baby. And there's no need to, because I'm going to make her get rid of it. I'm not having a baby this young, unlike _some people._"

He gave a pointed look to my belly and I went off on him. I don't even remember what I yelled about, but I do remember one phrase. "Scum of the Earth" comes to mind. Luckily Dumbledore came between us before I could hex Draco.

With tears in my eyes, I tore out of the room and to the hospital wing. The doors were still closed, which meant no entrance. Snape was standing out there, leaning against the wall. He straightened up when he saw me.

With no air in my lungs, I asked if there was any news. He shook his head. I cried. Instead of holding me like he did when Harry and I had our fight, he took my hand and patted it. I was soothed by the comforting tempo and soon my tears died away into hiccups. He wordlessly conjured two chairs and we sat outside the wing.

After what seemed like ages, Madame Pomfrey finally came out. I instantly shot up out of my chair and saw spots before my eyes. I swayed and Snape stood behind me to make sure I wouldn't fall.

"You can go in now if you'd like," she said.

"You mean she's ok?" I said breathlessly.

She paused. "Almost."

And that's when I realized that Draco, my supposed brother, had, in a sense, intentionally killed his own child. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I pushed them back. If Pansy was awake, I wasn't going to upset her more by crying my eyes out in front of her.

I took a deep breath and composed myself. I walked into the wing slowly and saw Pansy propped up on the bed with mountains of pillows. She was staring into space with silent tears pouring down her face.

Snape was right behind me. I sat down at the foot of the bed and ventured, "Pansy?" Her head whipped around so she could face me and she held my gaze for a while. We didn't say anything. Then, with a bitter wail, she threw herself into my arms and sobbed. I glanced over at Snape and he looked extremely uncomfortable. I mouthed, "You can leave if you want."

He looked relieved at this and left as soon as possible.

Pansy cried for a long time. I would cry with her, sober up, and then cry some more. When she had cried herself out, she fell asleep. I kept watch over her, not wanting to leave her side. I asked Madame Pomfrey to let Hermione know that I was in the hospital wing and that I was ok. The little time Pansy did sleep, it was fitful. November 3rd crossed over into November 4th. She woke back up at three in the morning, disoriented. When she remembered what had happened, she broke into fresh tears and I comforted her again. I didn't sleep at all that night.

At about six in the morning, Pansy went back to sleep and Madame Pomfrey told me that I needed to get some rest as well.

I trudged back up to Gryffindor Tower, too tired to think. I got to my bed and almost instantly fell asleep. But before I did, I had a nagging feeling that today was an important day.

It was my birthday.

_Author's Note: If any of you are curious, Katherine has turned sixteen. :) As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next few chapters. :) Until next chapter!_


	26. Chapter Twentysix

"Alright, see you later!" I called over my shoulder to Katherine as I skipped over to my best friend, Demelza Robbins.

"You still talk to her?" she asked in hushed tones. "Ginny- her father is You-Know-Who!"

I flipped my red hair over my shoulder and said defensively, "Demelza, I've known her since before she found out she was his daughter and the person I knew before that was a fantastic woman. Her heritage doesn't define her. She defines herself. And don't forget that she saved me from the Chamber of Secrets when I was a first year, her second year, _before _she found out. And if Harry, Ron and Hermione trust her, so do I."

Demelza threw her arms up in the air, unconvinced. "I still say that we shouldn't be talking to her. She could be telling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named everything she hears!"

I rolled my eyes in frustration. "Whatever Demelza, think whatever you want. But I'm still going to be her friend."

I stalked off leaving a confused and hurt Demelza. _Some people just don't get it,_ I thought irritably.

_Author's Note: A fresh viewpoint! Yay! Anyways, hope you enjoyed. As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	27. Chapter Twentyseven

November went by in a blur. I slept for my entire birthday day, and didn't think much about it. I got a few gifts but my mind was on Pansy the entire time.

I went to visit her in the hospital wing every day as she recovered. She asked every day if Draco was coming to see her. I had to tell her every day that I didn't know. As time went on, her questions lacked a certain quality about them that they had had in the beginning and then she stopped asking at all.

I felt bad for her. She had lost her baby that she was beginning to look forward to and now she had lost what she thought was the boyfriend who loved her. It was a horrible situation for her.

I considered writing my parents about what had happened, but thought better of it. It would only bring heartbreak to my mother- plus, Draco would probably "accidentally" slip in Potions just who was the father of my baby.

I feared this every day. I was afraid to have people know who the father of my baby was. We got along amicably; that was not the problem. The problem was the judgment. I knew it was wrong to take what other people thought into consideration, but there was something bigger than what people would think. It was also that he could be compromised in any of his missions should everyone know that he was the father of my baby.

He was kind enough to inquire every day after Pansy and even made a small smile sometimes when I gave him a glowing report of her progress. Suddenly I was feeling shy around him for God knew what reason. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more between us than met the eye.

After two weeks, Pansy was allowed back into school. She was actually glad about this because she missed her friends. It seemed I was the only one who had visited her during her stay. I was disheartened when she told me that.

By the end of November, Harry and Hermione had formed this thing called Dumbledore's Army, the D.A. for short. I stayed out of the meetings because I knew no one would want me there.

People had grown increasingly hostile towards me since Draco's announcement about two months before. Soon the only people who would talk to me were Harry, Hermione, Ron, Pansy, and Ginny. I felt like an outsider. Harry begged me to join, but I knew why he had created this club and I knew that if I joined it would scare people off. And these people needed training on how to defend themselves.

December rolled around and so did the Christmas break. I opted to stay at Hogwarts because I didn't want to go home to whatever mess would be there.

The day everyone left on the train, I was in the common room. I was the only Gryffindor left. Snape stepped through the portrait and I was taken aback.

_I didn't know he could do that!_

He looked at me solemnly and said, "You have two hours to get ready and meet me at the front doors. Your parents have requested that you come for dinner tonight."

I figured that simply doing what they wanted was easier than putting up a fight, I merely nodded. He left as soon as I gave my consent.

I ran up to my room and started getting ready immediately. _Two hours! That isn't enough time!_

Alright, let me explain. For most girls, that would be more than enough time. But in my family, when you came to a special dinner you had to look perfect. No stray hairs, makeup perfectly done, gown nicely arranged- the works. My mother had vainly taught me how to do these own things when I was young and had made me get myself ready since I was ten years old. A special dinner in my family had to be perfection, and everyone there had to be no less.

So I hurried my makeup and hair. With an hour left, I painted my nails and attempted to fit into one of my nice dresses. It obviously didn't fit. I was six and a half months in and felt like a whale when I had to use _Engorgio_ on my clothes. I would have to do it again tonight.

I tiredly muttered "engorgio" and my dress expanded to fit me nicely. It was a nice dress; meant for a slim girl. The slim girl I was before I got pregnant. But the dress didn't look too bad on my now larger frame. It was a pale blue dress with a high waist and cap sleeves. I outfitted myself with jewelry and hair ornaments and checked the time. Fifteen minutes until I had to meet Snape. I threw some shoes on and rushed out the door to meet him at the front doors. He was dressed in his usual attire and looked surprised when he saw me. He raised his eyebrows in question and I said, "Family rule. You have to look nice."

He nodded knowingly and glanced at my feet. "Your shoes do not match," he commented.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed. "Now I have to go back and get my other shoe and-"

"Why don't you simply use the Geminio spell?" he proposed.

I hadn't thought of that. I tried bending over to get my shoe to replicate it but couldn't reach it on account of my distended belly. "If you'll allow me," Snape offered. I nodded my consent.

He bent over to retrieve my shoe and I felt my heart racing for no apparent reason. I lifted my foot so he could get the shoe off. He wordlessly performed the spell and a new shoe erupted from the old one. He took the other shoe off my foot and replaced it with the twin. My heart was beating a million times a minute.

He stood back up and held his arm out for me to take. "Thank you Professor," I said tremulously.

"Call me Severus. I think we are past the formalities at this point," he said with a small smile. My heart melted at his words.

_Dear God. Am I attracted to my professor? Is he attracted to_ me?

I shook my head and heart of these "feelings". I had been hurt before, I wasn't going to be hurt again. Not that there was a chance of that. Because I wasn't attracted to my professor. Or was I?

I stopped thinking about it by the time we had reached the gates. I took his hand in preparation of Apparation. He took my hand off of his and said, "Apparation is harmful for expecting mothers. I'll see you onto the Knight Bus and then apparate to your house."

I nodded and he stuck his wand arm into the street. Instantaneously the Knight Bus arrived. I boarded it and he waved to me. The bus took off and I held on for dear life. I felt as if I might have a recurring case of morning sickness.

When they reached my house I got off and they zoomed away at breakneck speed. I looked around for Severus. _Where is he? _Suddenly he came out of the shadows and offered me his arm like he had at the castle. My heart melted again. I took it and we started up the drive.

We walked in silence. We reached the house and broke away from each other as I straightened myself out and made sure I looked ok. "You look- fine," he said in reassurance. He almost looked as if he would've said something else, but I didn't have enough time to ponder on this.

My mother threw the door open and enveloped me in her arms. "Katherine!" she cried. I hugged her back as fiercely as she was hugging me. She pulled away all too soon and put me at arm's length so she could see me better. "You're glowing sweetheart! And you're so big!"

"Yes mother, because that's what every woman wants to hear," I said laughingly. I looked right next to me and saw nothing but thin air. Severus had already gone inside and was talking with some of his Death Eater friends.

"Mother, why are father's 'friends' here?" I asked carefully.

She bit her lip. "I was planning on having a nice family dinner, but he Dark Lord insisted everyone stay."

"No matter," I said lightly, even though I was dreading this dinner on the inside. I went inside with my mother and greeted some people I hardly even knew.

Soon they called for dinner and we were all seated. Instead of my father sitting on Voldemort's left side like he usually did, he called for me to take his place. I was reluctant to sit next to him and wondered what his motives were. I sat down and the meal began.

I glanced at father. He seemed to be almost happy to have traded me his regular spot next to Voldemort. I looked at Draco. He was unresponsive and glared at me, like he was jealous of my stature.

_Who would be jealous of this?_

I was nervous and lost my appetite before we even sat down to eat. I simply pushed the food around on my plate and tried to concentrate on conversation. Severus, sitting on Voldemort's right side, noticed this and signaled that I should be eating. I intimated that I wasn't hungry.

They brought out the next course and Voldemort began talking to me.

"You're quite along now, aren't you Katherine?" he inquired.

Taken aback, I stammered, "Uh, yes- I'm… about six and a half months."

He nodded as if he knew all about this and said, "It's a boy, right?"

The entire table went silent. As first I couldn't ponder why, but then I remembered that my mother had been killed because she had given birth to a girl.

I recovered and said, "I'm not sure. I… haven't checked. I want it to be a surprise."

"But it will be a boy," he said in an almost menacing tone. I was frightened. I mustered up all my courage, put on a fake smile and said brightly, "Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?"

He looked infuriated at this, but I simply smiled like a fool and went back to pushing my food around on my plate.

Then my father interjected, "Katherine dear, you don't look like you're eating a lot."

I smiled sarcastically at him and said, "I'm not very hungry father."

Almost as if he was jealous at me calling him father, Voldemort cut in, saying, "You need to eat for your child."

I looked at him and said, "I'll do whatever I damn well please."

A collective gasp came from the table and I smiled in his rotten face. His face turned into what I assumed to be a reddish color and said, "If you're going to act like a child, you shouldn't be having one."

For a minute nothing was said. I slowly rose from the table and said, "You pompous asshole. You should be the one to talk! You forced him to have sex with me! That's the only reason I'm pregnant!"

"But keeping it was your choice," he butted in.

"There were no other choices for me!" I screamed into his hideous face. "I had no say in whether I got pregnant or not! You did all of this to me! And I'll tell you what else-"

By this time I had moved to the doors that went outside to the driveway. I finished my sentence, "You're never getting this baby! Whether it's a boy or girl- never! Why would I subject an innocent child to your horrid way of viewing the world and let you poison their minds with hate? I hate you, and I hope you burn in hell with the rest of your ungodly circle of 'friends'!"

I walked out and slammed the door behind me. The door opened immediately and people came pouring out to watch the final scene in the drama that was playing out before their eyes.

Voldemort came strolling out in no hurry and called out, "But you haven't heard the best part!"

I turned around slowly and said menacingly with a grinding of my teeth, "What?"

"You're getting married to Severus by the end of January. Narcissa will start making preparations tomorrow," he finished nonchalantly.

I looked at my mother's shocked expression and saw Severus's bored face. Somehow I knew that this was as much a shock to him as it was to me. "The fuck I am!" I threw over my shoulder as I waddled away as fast as I could. I reached the end of the driveway and called for the Knight Bus. I boarded and went back to Hogwarts. Once there I went upstairs and shedded my lovely garments, tore the pins out of my hair, ripped the jewelry off my body and took my shoes off and threw them against the wall with as much force as I could. I got dressed in one of the nightgowns that still fit me and laid on my bed, too angry to cry and too angry to go to sleep.

_Author's Note: I hear wedding bells. Maybe? We'll see if she really does get married to Severus. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you would like to see in the next few chapters. Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S- I promise Mira, I'll write a chapter in Ron's point of view soon! :)_


	28. Chapter Twentyeight

I sat with a drink in my hand. It seemed like I was drinking a lot more nowadays. The castle was very silent when I got back at midnight. The Dark Lord had been thoroughly amused when Katherine had left, instead of his usual unfathomable anger. Why he was, I didn't know. But I let it be.

I downed my glass. _Married? Merlin. Am I ready for this?_

There was really no question of whether I was ready or not. If the Dark Lord commanded it, it would be done. The hard part was convincing Katherine to go along with it.

"Katherine." I said the name aloud. It was a name that rolled off the tongue and was pleasant to hear. I liked it a lot. "Katherine Snape."

I flinched. It was such a beautiful name tainted by my horrid last name. By my wretched identity.

I pondered this for a while until I heard a faint, timid knock on the door. I got up from my chair and opened the door to find Katherine standing there in her bare feet and a pink and white polka-dotted nightgown. Her black curly hair was tumbling down her shoulders and her usually hard eyes were softened. Her bowed mouth was set in a petulant grimace. The first thing that came to my mind was, "Why are you not wearing shoes Katherine?"

She glanced down at her feet and said thoughtfully, "Oh. I didn't think about it. Can I… come in?"

I motioned for her to and she sat down on a couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. She stared at me with doe's eyes and softly asked, "Did he really mean it?"

My heart shattered at these words. Here was another beautiful woman rejecting me again. I turned my heart into stone and said, "If you'd rather not marry me Miss Malfoy, perhaps you can cry to daddy about it."

She jumped at those words as if they shocked her, or fired up her nerve endings. "That wasn't what I meant at all!" she cried indignantly. It seemed to me that no matter what you did, the shrew in her was tempered somehow.

"You can't honestly say that marrying the troll of the dungeons doesn't repulse you at all?" I sneered.

At this she seemed ready to cry, something she seemed to be doing a lot lately. She forced back her tears and said, "No it doesn't. And it hurts me to think that you think that I would be so shallow as to think that!"

She said this with such vehemence and passion in her voice that I had to believe her. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "To answer your question Miss Malfoy, yes, he did mean it. But I propose that if you don't like being married to me, we can always have a divorce when this blows over."

"What happened to 'Katherine'?" she countered. _Was that all she heard?_

"Fine. Katherine."

I loved saying her name.

"I just-" She cut herself off. "Never mind," she dismissed.

"What?" I urged.

"It's just that… I don't want to get married at sixteen. It's absolutely ridiculous! I'm a child having a child, and now I'm about to be married! It doesn't make sense! Why can't I be a normal kid? Why can't I get married when I'm 25 and have babies when I damn well please? It's not fair!" she ended passionately.

"Life's not fair Katherine," I said as I sat down beside her.

"And that's not all," she said softly.

"What else is there?" _There are more complications?_

"I… I want to be married in a Muggle church, as well as have a wizard wedding," she confessed.

_Why would she want this? _So I asked her.

"Because I have religion and I just think I need to be married in the Muggle church for it to really count," she admitted.

I was blown away. When in her pure-blood raised life had she been able to find religion? This was absurd almost to the point of hilarity. But I kept my face clean of emotion and said, "If it matters to you, we can be married in a Muggle church."

She practically squealed in delight and threw herself at me, hugging me with strength I didn't know she had. After a while she broke away and we looked at each other for a long moment.

I don't remember who made the first move, but somehow, our lips met. It was sweet and innocent, nothing like any kiss I had ever had before. It ended too soon and with a little wave goodbye she left to go to bed.

I sat back and thought that maybe being married wouldn't be as bad as we both had previously thought.

_Author's Note: LOL, for all of you who thought they were going to jump into bed, it's too soon! LOL, that's later. ;) Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Thank you to all the people who have been giving such sweet comments. :) Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S- Who can find the allusion to a famous literary work? :)_


	29. Chapter Twentynine

I woke up feeling great. It was the first day of Christmas break and I couldn't wait to get downstairs to see my family. I bounded down the stairs and saw that Fred and George had already apparated down. Mum was yelling at them yet again for using magic for no reason.

Suddenly, she burst into tears and ran from the room.

"Mental," Fred said. "Agreed," George commented. I leaned against one of the walls and said, "Yeah, but you know that Dad being in Mungo's has been the hardest on her."

They turned around and had identical looks of guilt on their faces. "Hey ickle Ronny-kins," they taunted.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the table where they were sitting. I pulled out a chair and sat down with them. I heaved a sigh. Dad was still in St. Mungos and we were all pretty uptight about it.

Hermione came down the stairs. My heart fluttered. I know it seems silly to say something so cliché, but it's true. I really did fancy Hermione. I had fancied Katherine for a split second, but it lasted maybe a month. She was nothing but a wonderful sister to me. Hermione was different though. The feeling I had had for Katherine was nothing compared to what I had felt for Hermione about three years now. Since the beginning of third year.

Hermione sat down across the table from me. Her hands were resting on the table and she looked at me in that way that always made me wonder if she didn't fancy me too. I feeling intensified as she asked me, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," I said nonchalantly. She still looked worried about me and I said, "I'm fine."

The twins got up from the table and Harry came in. My mother bustled back into the dining room and quickly dried the remnants of her tears. She wasn't fooling anybody though. She sat down at the table the same time Harry did and pasted a smile on her face in the way all mothers do.

"So, Harry, how are you and Katherine?" she asked warmly.

I froze and I saw Hermione do the same. Harry looked awkward as he answered, "Uh, pretty good I guess. I, uh, we're not- dating anymore."

"What? But I thought the two of you absolutely adored each other! And she's such a nice girl, even if she is You-Know-Who's-"

"She's pregnant," Harry said flatly. "Oh," Mum said softly.

I could tell what was running through her head. She thought that Harry was the father and he had dumped her. I decided not to say anything and let everything play out on its own.

"I'm not the father though," he said defiantly. "In fact, she won't tell us who the father is."

I could see my mother was about to faint from hearing that Katherine was pregnant and supposedly cheating on Harry. The image that Mum had had of her was being tarnished.

I actually hadn't thought about her lying about someone raping her and that she had actually cheated on Harry. But she was too honest, and way too in love with Harry to have done something like that.

I decided to jump in at this point. Harry and Katherine may have made up, but that didn't mean that he cared enough to clear her name. "It wasn't her fault Harry. She never cheated," I insisted.

"How do you know she didn't?" he questioned, nostrils flaring. I suddenly realized that this was why Harry had been such an ass to her for that long. He thought that she really had cheated and wanted to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. That on top of the fact that Harry hadn't gotten to her first, which pissed him off royally. He was such a complex character.

"Harry," Hermione interjected quietly, "You know that Katy would never do that."

"How do I know what she would never do Hermione?" he threw at her. "She's Voldemort's daughter for God's sake!"

I stood up form my chair, angry at the fact that he had just snapped at Hermione for no reason.

"Oi mate! That's practically my sister you're talking about! And just because she's Voldemort's daughter, it doesn't mean that she changed fundamentally as a person!"

"It changes everything!" he screamed into my face. Mum came in between us at this point, but I moved around her and came nose to nose with Harry.

"When she found out that she was Voldemort's daughter, she didn't feel inclined to hate you because of who you are. Why should you do the same to her?" I challenged.

"It's not the same, don't try and make it sound like it is!" he yelled back.

"Whatever," I threw my hands up in frustration. I went through the door that separated the dining room from the stairway. I saw that Ginny, Fred and George had had their ears pressed up against the door.

_Great_, I thought sarcastically. _What a fantastic start to the break._

_Author's Note: Hope this was what you hoped for Mira! If you didn't like it, I can write another chapter in Ron's POV. :) Anyways, hope you all enjoyed. As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	30. Chapter Thirty

I woke up the next morning with a grin on my face. And then it dissolved into a thoughtful expression.

_Did I really just kiss my professor last night? Who started it anyway? Who cares._

I smiled to myself and clutched my red and gold pillow to my chest. I looked around the room I knew so well, that I had shared with the same four girls for the past five years.

_Everything is red and gold, _I thought mindlessly_. I wish there was some deviation to the scheme sometimes. One year I would like to have pink._

That thought took me back into my childhood. My room had always been painted an innocent pink, and then when I got older, a more rebellious, hot pink. It made me miss home. Not the way it was now, but the way it had been, even a week before the graveyard incident. If I could have frozen that in time, I would have been so happy for the rest of my life.

But things weren't taking too bad of a turn lately. It may have been a confusing turn, but it wasn't bad.

_What was that kiss about?_

It had been a nice kiss. Short and sweet. It made my stomach flutter, and I knew it wasn't the baby inside me. Harry had certainly never made me think about a kiss this much. I grinned to myself like a mindless idiot and got ready for the day. I pulled my hair back into a plait and put on a dress. I went downstairs for breakfast. I found that I was too late for breakfast and went to the kitchens.

I tickled the pear and went through the portrait. I found Winky and was happy that she wasn't drunk again. She was bright and sunny today and smiled at me when I came in. I smiled back at her and said hello. Dobby caught sight of me and said, "Miss! You're so big!"

"Well, I'm pregnant Dobby!" I said laughingly.

"Dobby hopes that he's not being too forward Miss, but Dobby is wondering what you're going to do with your baby," he said tentatively.

I sat down in a chair and said, "I don't know Dobby. I want to keep the baby at school with me, but I don't know of a way to do it. I go to class all day and won't have time for it."

Dobby thought about this for a split second and said, "Well, Dobby raised you Miss. Why can't I help raise your baby?"

I hadn't thought about this. It was a wonderful alternative to giving my baby up and feeding it to the lion back at my house.

"I'll think about it Dobby. I have to check with some people first," I told him excitedly.

"When you learn of it, call for Dobby and I will come," he said knowingly.

Instantly there were pancakes, bacon and eggs on my plate. I ate hungrily, remembering that I hadn't had much to eat the night before. After I wolfed down my solitary meal, I went to find Severus and tell him about the arrangement Dobby had proposed.

I went down to the dungeons and saw that he wasn't there. Puzzled by this, I went to Dumbledore's office and knocked. I heard a "come in" from two male voices and figured that the Headmaster had a visitor.

I opened the door slightly and peeked in, not intending to stay long, just long enough to ask where Severus was. But I opened the door the rest of the way when I saw that Severus was Dumbledore's visitor. I slowly walked into the room and Severus said, "Yes, Miss Malfoy?"

"I uh, wanted to talk to you Professor," I said, stumbling over my words.

"In a minute, right now the Headmaster and I were talking about what sort of arrangements that could be made for you, should you decide to keep your child at Hogwarts," Severus said in his velvet voice.

How could I have never noticed that his voice was so smooth? I brushed away such thoughts and said, "But that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

The Headmaster piped up, "What do you think, Miss Malfoy?"

He smiled warmly at me and it made me think of a beloved grandfather. Not that I had one, but it made me think about ones I had read about in fantasy books. He peered at me over his half-moon spectacles and fidgeted a bit with his tied beard. His robes were a flamboyant display, as usual.

I cleared my throat and said, "I was just down in the kitchens this morning when Dobby said that he would be more than happy to help me take care of the baby should I decide it stays with me."

The Headmaster considered this for a moment and said, "Yes, I think that should be good. He was loyal to you, I understand?"

I nodded and Dumbledore smiled. "I think that in order to not disturb your fellow fifth years, you should have a separate room for you and the child. What do you think Severus?"

All through this Severus was pressing his lips tighter and tighter together, as if he disapproved of all of this. "Headmaster, you know how badly the Dark Lord wants this child," he began.

Dumbledore cut him off, "And that's why we are going to do all we can to keep him from getting to the child. The baby will stay here."

He turned to me and said, "When will the baby be due?"

"Towards the end of March," I answered mechanically.

"Take one of the old abandoned classrooms and start preparing it. Be ready when it comes."

"Thank you Professor, you've been good to me and understanding about everything," I said softly. And I really did mean it, from the bottom of my heart. I was so thankful that things seemed to be taking a turn for the better.

"Now that we have this settled, you may both go," Dumbledore said with a wave of his hand.

Severus and I both exited him somewhat miffed and me extremely happy with the turn of events. Then I thought about something and turned to him to ask it. "Did you tell him that we're getting married?" I inquired.

"Yes," he answered monotonously.

We walked on in silence for a while until I broke it by saying, "So, about last night…"

He cut me off by saying, "I know that you probably want to forget it ever happened. And if you want that to happen, I'll forget it."

I was taken aback. _What had happened to form this piteous man who had absolutely no self-esteem?_

I threw my shoulders back defiantly and said, "Actually, that's the opposite of what I want."

He stopped in his tracks and I had to put my head back all the way to get a look at his face because he was so tall and I was so small. His face was a mix of incredulity and hope.

"Truly?" he asked quietly.

I nodded my head solemnly. "I haven't stopped thinking about it," I confessed.

He looked shocked and then composed his face into the expression that he had when he was around Voldemort. "Maybe we should discuss this later, Miss Malfoy. In my office at seven," he said delicately and quietly.

I nodded and then took off in the direction of my common room.

_Author's Note: Oooooooo… LOL, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until the next installment! :)_


	31. Chapter Thirtyone

I was sick to my stomach. I didn't want my baby getting married to the right hand man of the Dark Lord. Well, maybe someday, but not at sixteen!

I had no doubt in my mind that this match would be a disaster. He thought like us, and she did not.

But I had to admit that it was advantageous. He was the Dark Lord's right hand man and a pure-blood. Their child would be pure-blooded like the rest of us. Perhaps over time he could convince her to think like us.

There was a part of me that didn't want her to change though. I almost loved the way that she was so accepting of anybody. It was a fresh perspective, and because of who she was everyone liked her. Well, everyone that I had seen. She didn't have many playmates when she was small, like Draco did. It was why she had loved Dobby and gotten along so well with him. She was devastated when he was let go by the Potter boy.

When Draco's friends had come over to the house they would shun her and he would do the same. She wanted her brother to love her so. But there had always been something between the two of them that was so intangible, something that made him keep her at arm's length, even though he would sometimes play the part of big brother. The funny thing was, she was older than him by a few months.

I groaned and put my head in my hands. There was so much to do! And it was not as if the Dark Lord wanted a small wedding. He wanted many people there. There were sometimes I wondered if he didn't feel some sort of fatherly pride for her.

But it was probably only because he wanted to show her off. Women to him were merely ornaments, and she was the ultimate ornament because she was so pretty and a product of him. She was a credit to his good genes.

She was indeed a beautiful little girl. She was petite and had curly black hair with piercing, dark, hard eyes. Her eyes were the best attribute about her. Her eyes could pierce someone's soul without revealing anything of her own, even though she would tell just about anyone anything if they asked right. She had a small, plum-colored mouth that was usually set into a brilliant smile with pearly white teeth. She had creamy white skin and her face was angled so smoothly you would have thought the wizard Michelangelo would have carved it. She had high cheekbones and was usually such a slim little girl, but her pregnancy had changed this.

I sighed again. She didn't need to be having babies when she was just a baby herself.

I caught myself damning my husband again for putting her in such a predicament. I knew that it was wrong to do so since he beat himself up about it every day, but I couldn't help it.

"Narcissa," came a cold, clear voice. Even though I was used to that voice, I couldn't help to jump or shiver at it slightly every time I heard it.

The Dark Lord swept into the room and came to stand in front of me. I jumped out of my chair and curtsied to him. I hated these formalities.

"Good news," he said triumphantly. "Severus had just sent word that the girl will go through with the wedding."

My heart sank. My baby.

"She is not your child Narcissa," the Dark Lord snapped after he had heard my thoughts. "She is mine, and I decide what is best for her. You do not. Keep planning, you have nothing better to do I assume."

I in fact did have things to do. Like spend time with my son before he went back home from holidays. I had missed him so. But I kept my mouth shut until the Dark Lord left.

I kicked the desk moodily. "What does it matter that I never gave birth to her?" I wondered aloud. "I raised her since she was one. She is practically mine. I have been a mother to her in all the important ways but one."

I sat down and began to work again on the wedding plans. What size gown was she going to fit into?

Author's Note: Cissa again. Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, review your comments and what you want to see next. Until next chapter! :)


	32. Chapter Thirtytwo

The New Year came and went. I didn't care. All I did the entire break was spend time with Severus.

Calling my professor of five years Severus was a bit weird at first. But after everything that had happened between us… It didn't take too long to get used to calling him by his given name. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was in love with him at this point. But I certainly did have feelings for him.

Severus. It was such a lovely name. I had secretly decided that if the baby was a boy we would name it after him. Even though he didn't show it, I could tell he was excited.

The wedding date was approaching. The day was February 1st. I was apprehensive and I knew that Severus could sense it. He thought that it was because I didn't want to be married to him. He was always thinking that he was to blame. I wasn't apprehensive about marrying him, but how would I be married to him and be a student of his at the same time?

I had taken a classroom nearer the dungeons to fashion as my new room so that I could be closer to Severus. Because I didn't know if it was a boy or girl, I just decked it out in Gryffindor colors to stay true to my house. Severus wasn't happy when he saw it. He scowled and I laughed.

Soon everyone came back to Hogwarts and Harry was slightly less cordial to me than usual. I didn't know why he would be acting so distant. I saw Hermione and breathed a sigh of relief; I had my best friend back who understood everything about me.

When Pansy walked in, draped on Draco's arm, she gave me a small look of guilt mixed with embarrassment and walked away quickly. I wasn't mad at her or felt like I was being betrayed. I was sad that she had gone back to him.

The evening of the day everyone came back, I was sitting in the common room with my friends when someone admitted Cho Chang into the room. She crooked her finger towards Harry, like she was pissed off. His face fell and he followed her out the portrait hole. When he came back thirty minutes later with the look of a beaten dog, I could only assume that they had been fighting again. No matter. They would make up in a few days time.

The week passed on and on Saturday I had a dress fitting. I met my mother at a robe shop and tried on the dress that she had thought would fit and look nice. It didn't fit at all. At the sight of me trying to get a dress over the middle of my swelled stomach, my mother burst into tears.

I ran over to comfort her but she was inconsolable. I left the fitting discouraged.

_Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter was kinda crap. But it'll get better in the next couple of chapters. As always, review your comments and what you wanna see. Until next chapter! :)_


	33. Chapter Thirtythree

The thoughts crept into my mind again.

_The only reason he still hangs out with her is because he's the father._

He had told me countless times that he wasn't, but there was still a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind. I had asked him to get a paternity test, to show me, to prove my suspicions wrong. But he refused.

_And it's only because he doesn't want to be made out a liar._

Harry came into the room and I straightened up imperceptibly. He plopped down beside me and gave a sigh. I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, "Where were you just now?"

He looked pissed as he answered the question but I didn't care. He was toying with my heart; I had more reason to be angry. "I was just in the library."

"With Katherine Malfoy?" I shot at him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "No Cho. Don't be so ridiculous."

"I'm ridiculous!" I practically screamed in his face. "You're hanging out with the daughter of your supposed sworn enemy, the guy that you're trying to 'protect' us all against. And, she's pregnant! We all know it's yours Harry!"

He threw a sharp, piercing look in my direction and said, "We've been over this a million times Cho. I am NOT the father."

I snorted my derision. "Of course you're not. Look, when you finally get over her, then you can come talk to me."

"But- Cho!" he shouted after me. I didn't care. I just walked away.

_Author's Note: Shorter one this time. Hope you enjoyed. All the stuff I usually say. If you don't remember, read the one from the last chapter. Thanks! :)_


	34. Chapter Thirtyfour

_Katherine never treated me like this, _I thought glumly. _She was always so sweet. Oh God, I need her back!_

I ran through the hallways, searching and searching, until someone told me she was in Snape's office. I went to go after her.

_Author's Note: Really short chapter, but I think it says enough. Katherine is about to put her big girl pants on and put her foot down next chapter._


	35. Chapter Thirtyfive

I was sitting in Severus's office, my feet propped up on a pillow on his lap. We were talking about the latest issue of _Potion Master Weekly_. He had read me an article and asked me what I thought about it. Most of it was over my head since it was extremely technical and really for people who had gone on to secondary school to study Potions, but the gesture was sweet.

That's when we heard a knock on the door. Severus glanced at me and tentatively asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Harry," the voice called through the thick wood of the door. "I need to speak to Katherine."

_Shit._ "Uh, now's not the best time Harry," I called out.

There was a slight pause and he said in a voice that was so quiet I almost couldn't hear it, "I love you Katherine."

I turned a shocked face to Severus who seemed ready to kill. He quietly whispered to himself, "If I'm going to let another Potter ruin my life-"

"What?" I asked. "What did you say?"

He seemed shocked that I had heard this, but he recovered and said, "It was nothing. Go out there and straighten him out."

I sighed and called out, "Coming."

I heaved my pregnant body onto the floor and waddled over to the door. Walking was becoming more difficult nowadays. I opened the door and he demanded, "Why are you in Snape's office?"

I stammered, unable to come up with a reply, but Severus stood up and said, smoothly, "I was telling her about the latest thing her father has requested of her. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to grade papers."

He moved to shut the door and caught my eyes for a millisecond. He wanted to make sure that I knew that if I needed him that he would be close by. He shut the door and I was all alone with Harry. Well, almost.

Harry sucked in his breath and said, "Katherine, I love you. I always have. I was just so stupid and blind. And my relationship with Cho; it's made me realize how special and important you are to me."

I cut him off after that. "Harry, just because you're sad that Cho broke up with you, it doesn't mean that you can go back to me. I'm not some coat that you can hang up in the closet and bring out when you're ready to use it. It doesn't work that way."

Harry turned red in the face. "That wasn't even remotely what I meant!" he screamed at me.

I decided to return the decibel level he was shouting at. "Yes it is Harry! This past month or two has been ok, but before that you shut me down and avoided me like the plague. And now, when it suits you, you decide that you want me back! What happens when you decide you don't want me anymore? Are you going to break my heart again?"

All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain rip through my abdomen. I nearly fell to the floor because of it, but I steadied myself and carried on, determined to have this conversation with him.

"You just want to possess a woman Harry. It's never been about love for you. All you wanted to do was control me. That's half the reason why you broke up with me in the first place! You couldn't stand the thought of someone else having me first!"

The pain came again, harder this time. I almost blacked out from it. I moaned and tumbled to the floor. Harry was right beside me, slapping my hands, asking if I was alright. Severus was immediately upon us. He picked me up and directed Harry to tell Hermione and Ron that I was going to the Hospital Wing. I tried protesting, but when I opened my mouth, I fainted.

_Author's Note: Ooooooooooooo… I think you all know what's coming next! Anyways, all the regular stuff. Review, hope you liked it. :)_


	36. Chapter Thirysix

I ran with Katherine in my arms to the Hospital Wing. _Dear God don't let her die._

When I got there I kicked the door open, since my hands were preoccupied. By that time, Katherine had passed out. _Or died._

I mentally shook myself of such horrible thoughts and called for Poppy. She came over immediately and instructed me to lay her on one of the hospital beds. She pulled the curtains around her and, after a quick examination, pulled them back and told me that Katherine was going into child birth.

I was astounded. "She's only been pregnant for seven and a half months," I growled, unhappy with the diagnosis.

"Well, what was she doing before she fainted?" Poppy questioned irritatingly. "What does it matter?" I threw at her.

She gave me a pointed look and said, "Severus."

"She was having a heated argument with the Potter boy," I snapped.

"Well, there you go," she said simply.

"What do you mean?" I asked impatiently.

"Sometimes a baby can come early if the mother is put under a lot of pressure or stress. I'm surprised the baby didn't come sooner," Poppy observed.

Katherine gasped awake and groaned; some invisible force was tearing at her and she was on her way to blacking out from the pain yet again.

Poppy moved over to her swiftly and said, "Miss Malfoy. You're going into childbirth."

Katherine's eyes widened and she looked around wildly for something. I caught her eye and she stared at me for a long moment. Then she feebly reclined into the pillows and whispered, "I hope it's a boy."

Poppy drew the curtains around her once more and did another quick look over. She gasped in shock. The baby was breech because it was so early in coming. I swallowed my fear. How was I going to survive this torture?

I paced back and forth, over and over, until Poppy told me that I needed to go tell Dumbledore what was happening. I flew to the Headmaster's office. He wasn't there. I went to Minerva's office. Also not there. About to go to my office to send him a strongly worded owl, I happened across him in the hallways. I explained to him everything that was happening and he came to the wing.

When we got there Poppy looked stressed and frantic. She told us that she was going to have to remove the baby via caesarean section because there was no other way of delivering it. She was wringing her hands the entire time, in what I could only assume was worry.

Dumbledore and I left the wing just as soon as the Gryffindor Trio got there. They all looked stricken with worry, the Granger girl more so than the other two. She demanded to be admitted into the wing to see her friend and Dumbledore gently told her no. The Granger girl fought back tears and buried her head in the Weasley boy's shoulder. Potter seemed the least worried of them all, but more worried than Draco would have ever been.

I thought back to what he and Katherine had been fighting about and found she was right. He didn't really love her.

I tried not to pace back and forth across the floor because I knew that if I did the perceptive Miss Granger would pick up on something between the two of us. I just silently stood there, waiting…

After about an hour of waiting, Poppy came out. She seemed tired, but proud. I presumed that that meant that she and the baby were alright. I let out an infinitesimal sigh of relief. She started speaking to the group but I knew her words were directed at me.

"Miss Malfoy is alright. I had to put her under to perform the operation, but she's alright now."

She paused, and in that pause I expected the worst. I broke out in a sweat and almost yelled at her to spit it out already.

"When I performed the operation I found that there was more work to do than I had previously thought. Miss Malfoy has had twins," she said in a proud voice.

I nearly passed out from relief. Not only were she and the baby alright, but the baby had turned out to be twins!

"She did not go into premature labor from stress alone as I had previously thought, but because there were twins."

She paused again. "You all may visit her now, but only two visitors at a time. I suggest Severus and Albus first."

Thank God for Poppy, allowing me to see my children before anyone else did in the most inconspicuous way.

I walked into the hospital wing calmly, wanting to show the Gryffindor Trio that I was unimpressed. Potter seemed ready to kill someone while Weasley and Granger were laughing and crying their relief.

I saw Katherine lying on a bed asleep with two small infants on the bed next to her. I picked one up and held it close to me.

_This is mine, _I thought. _Fate was kind to me in giving me another chance at having a baby, but it went above and beyond giving me two._

I didn't want to let go. It was so small and pink. It had a shock of black hair topping its head, as did the other one.

_Thank God they both have Katherine's nose._

I called to Poppy, "Are they boys or girls?"

"Both girls," she replied with a smile on her face.

Katherine woke with a stir and said groggily, "Is it over?"

I laughed and said, "Yes. And look. Twins!"

I know that if it hadn't been for all the drugs she would've fallen out of her bed in surprise. But instead she leaned back against the pillows on her bed, closed her eyes and smiled dreamily.

Then, as if she was shocked, she jolted up from the pillows and whipped her head over to the bed the babies were resting on.

"Girls or boys?" she asked frantically.

I couldn't understand her fanaticism, but I dutifully answered, "Girls. Both of them."

She had a funny reaction. She started hyperventilating and she had this wild-eyed look on her face. She almost looked as if she was going to choke from not drawing enough air. Tears were pouring down her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously as I put the baby I was holding back down.

She just shook her head and started saying over and over, "He's going to kill me!"

"Poppy!" I yelled. She came rushing over and gave Katherine some sleeping draught. Katherine's cries about someone killing her subsided and soon she was rushed into what I presumed was a peaceful sleep.

Poppy stared at me accusingly and I flung my hands up in the air saying, "I didn't threaten to kill her!"

Dumbledore chimed in saying, "Perhaps she is talking about Voldemort."

And then I remembered that disastrous dinner about a month ago where the Dark Lord basically threatened her life if she didn't give him a male grandson. A chill ran through me as I thought about what the Dark Lord may do to her- or to the children.

I soon left to go and pen a letter to Narcissa about what had happened. I left the sex of the twins out of the letter though. We could deal with that later.

_Author's Note: Surprising twist! Haha, I didn't even know that this was going to happen until today! Anyways, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	37. Chapter Thirtyseven

I woke up feeling groggy. I was in the hospital wing and couldn't remember why. Suddenly it came back to me. Arguing with Harry. Contractions. Being rushed to the wing. Delivery. And then Severus had come in and said that we had twin girls.

I shot up at this thought. _Twins!_

I scrambled out of bed, accidentally hitting the snoozing Harry in the chair next to the bed. He woke with a jolt and stared at me for a good three seconds while he woke up completely. He blinked his eyes rapidly, shook his head, and said, "Katherine! You're awake!"

I looked at him uneasily and made my way back down on the bed. He was grinning like an idiot who had just won the million year Gringotts lottery. "I'm so glad you're awake. I'm gonna go tell Hermione."

He ran out of the wing and I was alone. I looked in the bed next to me and saw two small pink bundles lying peacefully. Then one of them started crying and I got out of the bed as quickly as I could so I could hold her and soothe her. Within a minute she had stopped crying and I felt a warm feeling spread through my chest. It tickled.

Just then Hermione, Ron, and Harry came bursting through the doors. Hermione's face was flushed and she had a smile on her face as big as the castle. Ron had a sort of brotherly pride swagger to the way he walked and Harry… There was no telling what Harry felt.

"How are you feeling Katherine?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"I'm feeling alright," I sat down on my bed holding the baby in my arms.

Hermione looked at me shyly and asked, "Can I hold the baby?"

"Of course!" I said smiling.

She picked up the lonesome baby and held it for a while. Ron said, "They're pretty cute."

Harry sat in the chair next to me with his arms folded over his chest and asked, "What are you going to name them?"

I hadn't thought about it. I pondered on this for a while and, unable to come up with anything nice-sounded, said, "I'll have to get back to you on that."

Hermione transferred the baby in her arms to Ron and a grin broke out across his face. "You did good Katherine."

I laughed it off. "I passed out and the babies came surgically Ron. I don't think I did much work."

He shrugged. "You still carried them."

It was silent for a while until Harry piped up. "Are you going to tell us who the father is now?"

I tensed up. This was not something I wanted to do right now. In fact, if I could keep it a secret forever, I would. I knew it was going to come out eventually, but not today.

"You know that I don't want to talk about this Harry," I said pointedly.

"Well, if you don't want to talk about that, can you talk to me about how you feel about me?"

He had a puppy dog look on his face. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

I sighed and said, "Harry I don't want to be with you."

"That's what you think now!" he said eagerly. "But wait until you see how well I'm going to do with these kids! I'm not going to be how I was at the beginning of the year. I promise, I'm changing."

"Did it ever occur to you that while you were out sucking face with Cho Chang that I might have had a relationship of my own?" I shot at him.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said dismissively.

That was it. I wasn't going to deal with him anymore.

"Get out," I said with a low, dangerous voice. "You are one of the most horrible catalysts for my stress, something I don't need right now. Get out of my face. I don't want to see you for a long time."

He looked shocked at my vehemence. Then he got angry. "Make up your fucking mind Katherine! You want me back, I come back, and now you decide that you don't want me anymore! You're a lunatic!"

I snorted. "That's the pot calling the cauldron black!" I called after him as he slammed the door to the wing.

Hermione and Ron had shocked expressions on their faces and I shrugged. "It's not like you haven't seen us fight before."

Severus came into the wing moments after Harry left. He stopped when he saw Hermione and Ron and said, "The Headmaster has asked me to check on you. But perhaps this is not the time. Maybe I should come back when you are not afflicted with the plague."

He looked at Ron and Hermione pointedly who took that as their cue to leave. Bidding me farewell, Ron put the baby back down on the bed and walked out of the wing with Hermione. Severus strode over to my bed and said, "Good evening."

That made me think. "What day is it?" I asked.

"The nineteenth of January," he answered in his usual silky voice. He picked up the baby that Ron had just put down and cradled it to his chest. I could tell he loved that baby.

_The nineteenth. Good. I haven't been asleep for long. Everything happened only just yesterday. But it is Monday… I missed an entire day of school. Great._

"There is something we have to have settled," Severus started.

I felt uneasy at his words. But then he said, "We have to give these children names."

I exhaled and laughed. "I hope you have names, because I haven't thought about girl names at all!"

He answered mechanically, as though he had been thinking about it all day, "Posy Grace and Melanie Joy."

I was shocked at how fast he had said it, and by how feminine the names were. I thought I was going to have to fight him for girl names instead of tom-boy names. I thought about it and said, "I like those names. They're sweet."

He smiled and I smiled too.

"I suppose it's time to move into my new room," I said brightly.

"I'll help you when you get out of the wing," Severus promised.

_Author's Note: Yay! They have names! I searched forever for the prefect name and then when I decided it was going to be twins I took a lot more time searching for yet another name. Hope you guys liked, review your comments and what you want to see next. Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S- Pottermore is now up! Go and live your Harry Potter lives through this awesome simulation! Chamber of Secrets is currently not up yet, but soon will be. :)_


	38. Chapter Thiryeight

I stood in front of the Dark Lord, hoping that he would be merciful.

"Two children! And out of the two of them, you could not manage to make one a boy! Crucio!"

I was on the ground, writhing in pain. Every single one of my nerve endings was on fire. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't give him that satisfaction. He lifted the curse and yelled some more.

"I need an heir Severus! And that weak minded girl will not do! I need a male heir that I can raise to be like me, so he can rule with me in my Muggle-free regime!"

He put me under the curse again. This time I couldn't hold back. I moaned in pain. The Dark Lord lifted the curse. I tried appealing to him.

"My Lord, I am as angry as you that one of the children was not a boy," I started. "But women can be just as strong as powerful. Bellatrix is."

The Dark Lord thought about this. I pressed on. "There would be no need to wait for her to grow up, no need to train her, to make her think like you. She is already your faithful servant. Employ her."

"But Severus, like every great monarchy, the person who rules alongside me needs to be of my blood. And while Bellatrix has excellent blood, it is not the blood I want."

He paced the floor. While he was doing so, a picture came into my mind of Katherine holding Posy Grace and Melanie Joy in her arms. My heart shattered just thinking about any of them coming to harm.

Finally, the Dark Lord came up with a solution that seemed to satisfy him.

"Katherine will not finish school. There is no need for her to because she is only a woman. She can be a stay at home mother for the rest of her life. The children will come home with her."

My heart sank. The Dark Lord continued. "Furthermore, the two of you will keep trying for a male heir. That is all."

He waved me out of the room and went to stand by the window. I walked slowly out of the room, hoping he would say more so that I could convince him to not do this. He never turned around. I met Narcissa on my way out.

"Tell me Severus. Boys or girls?"

"Girls," I replied wearily.

"What does he want?" she asked fearfully.

I relayed everything the Dark Lord wanted and Narcissa bravely fought back tears. I patted her shoulder as a way of a comforting gesture and left the wretched house.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed. Always review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S- If you've never seen Harry Potter: How It Should Have Ended, I suggest watching it. I almost died laughing! And Snape's voice is really good. :)_

.com/watch?v=YsYWT5Q_R_w


	39. Chapter Thirtynine

"But Severus, I need to continue my schooling! I can't leave now!"

I took one look at his face and knew that this was not a matter that could be discussed. I plopped down onto the bed in my new room and sighed. "You can't change his mind?"

He shook his head no. I groaned and put my face in my hands. "What will happen to the girls?" I asked in a small voice. "They will have no choice but to go with you. We can only hope that all of this will be over before he molds them to be like him," Severus replied.

He sat down on the bed next to me. I sniffled a little and said, "I guess I should be grateful. I wasn't even supposed to have my fifth year."

There was nothing but silence and I looked up to see if he was still listening. He was staring at me intently, like he had to say something but didn't want to. "Yes?" I asked.

"There was one other thing he told me," he started slowly.

"Yes?" I said, starting to get a little annoyed at the slow pace he was speaking at.

"He told me that since we did not have a son, we need to keep having children," he said carefully.

And I could understand why he would say that carefully. He knew the volcano was about to explode.

"What! ? What right does he have to say whether I have more children or not? This is absolutely ridiculous! There is absolutely no way that I'm going to have another child in the near future. You can go back and tell him that I'll move back home and quit my schooling, but I will NOT have another baby until I'm ready!"

I jumped up from the bed and paced the floor in white hot fury. Severus sat there unmoving as a statue and calm as the sea. He let me go on my rant for what seemed close to ten minutes long. Then he cut me off.

"Katherine, I know that you don't want another child any time soon. There are ways to get around this."

"Like how?" I threw at him.

"Well, we could go the hard way by teaching you Occlumency to shield your mind from the Dark Lord and tell him that we are trying. Or we could go the easy way by telling him that you are no longer able to have children," Severus said.

"Any way you see fit. Just don't make me have to do this again before I'm ready."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and he stood up and enveloped me in his arms. He smelled like the vapors that came off of a Draught of Living Death while it was brewing. Then a memory popped into my mind and I pulled away.

"Severus, what did you mean when you said that a Potter ruined your life?"

He tensed up and I knew that this was a sensitive subject. He let go of me and said, "I don't want to talk about this."

Now it was my turn to silently sit and watch him pace the room. He seemed extremely agitated; I had never seen him like this. Finally he took a deep breath to calm himself down and said, "You really want to know?"

"Only if you want to tell me," I answered.

He took another breath and started. "When I was a boy I met a girl. She was a Muggle-born and her sister always called her a freak when she did magic. It was only because she was jealous and wanted her parents' attention when they gave it to her sister. We became friends, the Muggle-born and I. She was sorted into Gryffindor and I into Slytherin. I soon began to fall in love with her. She was so good, gracious, and kind. I only hoped one day that she would see how I felt about her, and that she would feel the same too."

His tone took an angry turn as he continued. "James Potter came into the picture and tortured me by bullying me and continually embarrassing me. He took a fancy to the girl I was in love with and she married him. They had a son and he was the spitting image of his swine of a father."

I sat there in shock. "You're in love with Lily Potter," I said in a breathless voice.

I couldn't believe it. It made so much sense. I was brought out of my reverie by one of the girls crying. I held Melanie and rocked her back to sleep. As soon as she had drifted off, I set her back down in the crib and turned to face Severus. He was sitting on the bed with his head was in his hands. He was crying.

"Severus, I-"

What was I going to say to this? Sorry for the love of your life dying and then you getting me pregnant when all the time you probably wished that they were her children?

I went to him and patted his back soothingly. Instantly the tears dried up. He looked at me and said, "You're not angry?"

"Severus, why would I be angry? If you're in love with her, there's nothing wrong with that. I have no claim over you. Legally or otherwise. You have never said you love me, and you never have to. I know that you are fond of me, but if you never want it to go past that, I'm fine. You've done so much for me already; I don't think I could dare demand your heart."

He looked at me as if I had three heads, like Fluffy from my first year.

"I thought I did," he said quietly.

"Did what?" I asked stupidly.

"Said I loved you."

I was blown away. "You do?" I ventured.

"Yes," he answered simply.

Then I realized that Severus was a man who said things with his actions more than his words. He had been saying it for a while now.

"I'm not still madly in love with her. There is always going to be a part of me that loves her. But my future, however long it is, is with you."

I was deeply moved by this. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my cheek on his chest. We just sat there for a while, and I hoped that he was hearing "I love you" back.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	40. Chapter Forty

It was February 1st, the day I was to be married.

I left the castle that Saturday, discreetly so no one would know that I was gone. I had told Hermione that I needed to do something outside of school and she said that she would keep people away from my room and tell them that I was sick.

Severus had woken up at the crack of dawn and left. I took the girls with me and arrived at my home.

I was afraid to bring Posy and Melanie to the house. It was like I felt that if Voldemort was even near them they would be ruined forever.

I went into the house and it was in chaos. People were running everywhere making last minute preparations. The band was warming up, getting ready to play the wedding march in an hour. My mother rushed over to me and cried, "Thank Merlin you're here! You're so late!"

She rushed me into my childhood bedroom and I stood there as she circled me, unsure of what to do.

"You're not pregnant anymore, so I can make you smaller," she said musingly.

She pointed a wand at my abdomen and murmured a spell I could not hear. Instantly my stomach was flattened out. It was as if I had never had the twins.

I stared at her in shock and she said, "A spell my mother taught me when I was old enough."

She sent for someone to take the girls to someplace else while I got ready. When they were gone she had me disrobe and cinched my torso into a corset. I couldn't breathe. But I knew that my mother wanted this, so I didn't say a word.

She pulled the wedding gown over my head and outstretched arms. Since it had been tailored to fit my pregnant body, it no longer fit. I was drowning in the voluminous folds of the dress. She pulled back the excess material, pinned it, and then muttered an incantation that immediately fixed the problem.

Next, she took my hair out of its restraining hair tie and brushed it vigorously out. She took a few of the pieces that always framed my face and left them out of the huge, bulky updo that my mother twisted onto my head. Then she took out some cosmetics and seemed to perform surgery on my face. When she turned me around to see myself, I couldn't believe that it was actually me.

The fattened figure of me that I had gotten used to over the past few months was completely gone, and my old figure was back. The corset my mother had practically sewn me into accentuated the few curves my body had. The dress was bindingly white and simple. It was nothing but white material that contoured my curves and then waterfalled down from my waist until it hit the floor where lace floated up dreamily from the hem. The sleeves were nothing but fine lace and belled out at the elbows. My black hair that was in sharp contrast to my dress and complexion was in small wisps around my face while the rest of it was pulled into an elegant updo. The makeup wasn't overdone and was soft and feminine.

Say what you wanted about my vain mother, but she knew how to get someone looking perfect in under an hour.

I was rushed from the room to the door leading to the entrance hall. I drew in a sharp breath.

_It's happening._

My mother shoved flowers into my hands. All too soon, the wedding march started playing. I walked down the aisle slowly, all by myself. I had told them that over my dead body would I let anyone other than my father walk me down the aisle and Voldemort had said that he wouldn't allow it. So I walked alone.

I reached the altar and looked at Severus. He had his bored face on again. He had told me that we needed to keep our emotions in check the entire time so as not to tip anyone off and have the Dark Lord getting suspicious of his right hand man getting buddy-buddy with his daughter who was so vocal about her hate for his cause. It didn't keep me from struggling to not grin during the entire ceremony though.

I didn't hear a thing that the official was saying. Only until I heard, "… until death do you part?" did I snap back into reality. Severus answered, "I do."

The official asked me the same thing and I replied in the same vein as Severus. When he said "you may now kiss the bride" Severus gave me a chaste peck on the cheek, and we walked back down the aisle.

After this was dancing, music, food. I don't remember much about the after party; mostly because I knew no one there other than my family.

But I did remember one thing. My father and Draco got roaring drunk, something I knew that they would both regret in the morning. Then Draco swaggered over to me and said with Firewhiskey on his breath, "You know what Katherine?"

This was the first time he had talked to me in months, and I tried to keep my surprise in check. I politely asked, "What?"

He sighed deeply and said, "I wish Pansy were still pregnant. Then I could be as happy as you."

He thought I was happy? Well, I was for the time being, but it wasn't the girls alone that made me happy. And at the end of the year I had to move back home and subject my babies to Voldemort's watchful eye. I attributed this horrific and ridiculous statement to the drink and he babbled on.

"I'm sorry for telling everyone about you. That wasn't right. And I-"

He began to tear up here and said, "I wish that I hadn't been so mean to Pansy! I was such an ass when she had her fall and when she told me she was pregnant. I wish I could undo it. I'm not good enough for her!"

He took another swig of drink and ploughed on.

"I'm glad the two of you are friends, but she feels that she betrayed you. You should tell her you're not betrayed. Unless you are."

He hiccupped after this statement and then left to go find a place to vomit.

I knew that he was going to forget all of these things when he woke up the next morning, but I couldn't help but think to myself that he had probably taken an important step in personal growth. I was confident that if he could feel it when he was drunk, it would come to the surface soon. I hoped.

I kept with the twins all night and soon started to feel sleepy myself. The hour was late and the party had been going on for about six hours now with no sign of ending. People were drinking to their hearts content, using "sober up" potion, and then drinking some more, all the while eating and dancing. It was a funny ritual and cycle to watch at first, but then I started longing for my own bed. As soon as my eyes started drooping, Severus was by my side, promising to take me home.

Everyone bade us farewell and went back to partying. We walked down the drive, a baby with each of us and got back to Hogwarts. By this time it was two in the morning and I was a walking zombie.

Severus put the babies to bed as I blushingly undressed and got into my pajamas. Then I realized that it was really the only time, other than that night almost a year ago that he had seen me without clothes. And it had been just as long since we had been intimate. Well, maybe intimate wasn't the word I was looking for because the first time was… I didn't want to think about it. It was all behind us.

I made the resolve to remedy this as soon as I could.

I lay down on my bed and Severus kissed me good night. He turned to leave and I had a sudden thought which made me shoot up into a sitting position on the bed. "Severus, why don't you sleep here tonight?" I ventured. I knew it would go no farther than that, and he did too. I could tell it in his eyes when he looked at me.

I patted the bed next to me as an invitation and he smiled. He wordlessly made the bed larger and locked the door so no one would happen upon us unexpectedly.

He lay down and pulled me into his arms. I drifted off into sleep thinking, "He's saying I love you again."

_Author's Note: Finally, she's married! Anyways, as always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. I was thinking maybe Sev's POV on the wedding? Until next chapter! :)_


	41. Chapter Fortyone

I didn't sleep the night before I got married.

I paced, I thought, I agonized.

_What if this didn't work out? I did tell her that if we didn't work that we could have a divorce. But I don't want that._

Unable to take my solitude any longer, I got dressed at dawn and left the castle. I thought that if I was out and about for a wedding, I might as well stop by a Muggle church and see what was required to get married.

I went to Cokeworth, someplace where people wouldn't recognize me. I searched for a while and found a quaint little white church with a steeple. I went inside.

It was seven in the morning on a Saturday, so no one was there. I was about to leave when I heard a deep, booming voice calling after me.

"Hello!" the voice called out.

I turned around to face the man who had shouted. He was a stout man of about forty-five with a florid face and a small nose. He had a grin on his face as big as England.

"What can I do for you?" he asked jovially. I paused and thought about what I was going to say.

"I was wondering about what it takes to get married," I said.

"It takes love!" he answered with a snicker. I was getting slightly annoyed. Then he turned serious and said, "You're thinking about getting married? Well, let me tell you something about marriage."

He gestured to a pew and we sat down next to each other.

"Son, marriage takes two. It takes respect and love. If you don't have any of that, it won't work. You hear?"

I nodded my understanding and he ploughed on. "Who is the lucky woman?"

I stiffened. "Her name is Katherine."

"Why are you two getting married?" he asked innocently.

I took a deep breath and said, "Because we're in love."

He took a long look at me and said, "I believe that son. But I don't think that that's all. Whatever trials the two of you are going through, you need to take a look at them and ask yourself if this is going to work out in the long run."

He stood up and said, "You don't have to tell me, but you can talk to me if you want. Or talk to God. He's a much better listener."

Then he turned businesslike and said, "In order to get married, you must have a marriage license. You can get one at almost any government institution."

He patted me on the back and said, "Good luck son."

He retreated into an office and I walked out of the church. By this time it was eight o'clock, and there was still so much down time until preparation for the wedding.

I went to a park and sat down on a bench. I thought about whether this was going to work.

I thought about Posy and Melanie. My heart clenched at the thought of them growing up without a father. Maybe not by my own design by leaving Katherine, but if I perished in service to Dumbledore. But dying was something that could not be helped. And the wedding was not about them. This, the wedding, was about Katherine and me.

Granted this had come about because the Dark Lord had ordered it, but it had turned into us loving each other. It was a strange turn of events, but it was a good turn.

I had no choice in calling off the wedding. And I didn't want to. Even if we didn't work out, I wanted to salvage the time we had together, as a family.

I got up from the park bench and apparated to the Malfoy Manor. They were busy with last minute arrangements. I let Narcissa be; she was busy with the caterers.

"Severus," the Dark Lord called out. I went to him. He smiled, something that did not enhance his features, and led me with his arm around my shoulders to an unused room.

"Have a drink Severus," he said as he poured a healthy amount into a glass from a decanter. Surprised by his mood, but keeping my face devoid of emotion, I took the glass and sipped the sherry.

"You are in a good mood today My Lord," I commented.

He said, "Of course Severus, my daughter is getting married. She is pretty and a credit to me. Today I can show her off. Of course, there is nothing else extraordinary about her except for her looks. She is weak and soft. She doesn't have the potential for greatness. She was born with a limited personality."

He took a long drink. "I almost feel bad for having pushed her onto you. No one else would ever have her. But this will only be good for you. Marrying her is good for your stature, which is why I had you become her husband. Because I think you have greatness imbedded in you."

He paused. "I am always speaking of having an heir, but for the time being, I want you to stay my right hand man until my grandson comes along. You will be rewarded for being such a faithful servant to Lord Voldemort, Severus."

I stood there the entire time, unmoving and unblinking. It was all unbelievable. Suddenly, I realized that this was exactly what I needed to do to gain Voldemort's unwavering trust so I could help Potter destroy him in the long run. I nodded silently and downed the rest of my glass.

I went to another room and got ready. There wasn't much to do but get dressed. I donned my regular black ensemble and waited for the wedding to start. Two hours before, Narcissa ran into my room, wringing her hands with trepidation.

"Do you know where she is?" she asked fretfully.

"She'll be here Narcissa," I promised.

About thirty minutes before the ceremony, I went to the entrance hall to wait. There had to have been hundreds of people there. It was atrocious.

The decorations were nice though. Everything was either a light, airy green or a regal ivory. I smirked. Katherine would not like the suggestion of Slytherin house colors.

The wedding march sounded and my breath caught. Katherine was standing at the end of the aisle, resplendent in a beautiful white dress. The soft lace on her arms elongated them, making her figure flow more than usual. I saw that Narcissa had used a spell to make her lingering baby bump go away. It made it look like we had never had children together. I didn't necessarily like that thought.

She reached the end of the aisle and I could see that she was fighting hard not to smile. I was about to grin as well, but after years of training I had learned to keep my emotions in check better. I glanced over to the crowd and saw Posy and Melanie, only two weeks old, sitting in bright sundresses with Narcissa who was crying her eyes out. I focused back in when the official said, "Until death do you part?"

I answered, "I do." The official asked Katherine the same and she answered "I do" as well. The band played the wedding march again as we walked back up the aisle. I could see the look of triumph on the Dark Lord's face. I almost shivered.

The party soon ensued. I saw Draco walk over to Katherine and talk to her for a while. Then he promptly moved away to vomit from all the liquor he had been drinking. Katherine yawned and her eyes started drooping, and then I remembered that I hadn't had any sleep the night before and was tired as well.

I gathered my newly made family and walked out. Everyone wished us happiness and then went back to drinking and dancing. I took Melanie out of Katherine's arms and left her with Posy. We made it back to the castle and got in without any hassle.

We went to her room and I put the children down to bed as she got dressed for bed. When I straightened up from the cribs, I saw that she was blushing furiously.

_It's because the only other time you've ever seen her without clothes was that night…_

I pushed the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to think about something in the past that was so trivial to where we were now. She got into the bed and I kissed her goodnight. I moved to the door and she shot up like a rocket, or one of the Weasley boy's inventions.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" she asked. I looked in her eyes and I knew that it would go no farther than sleeping. I knew why and couldn't fault her for it.

I wordlessly made the bed larger and locked the doors so someone like Potter wouldn't get in and see us. I slipped into bed and gathered her in my arms. She was so petite. Her cheek rested just against my chest, where my heart was fit to burst from everything I was feeling.

It was just so right.

Eventually she faded off into sleep and her breathing turned easy and even. I fell asleep as well some time after.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	42. Chapter Fortytwo

I woke up to blinding sunlight dancing in my room. I squinted my eyes and tried to adjust. I went to get out of bed, but then realized that a man's leg was draped over mine. I looked and saw Severus snoring in his sleep. I giggled and eased my leg out from under his. Posy and Melanie both started crying, so I picked them up from their cribs and started to feed them. I sat down on the bed and thought about yesterday.

_Married! I'm married._ I grinned in appreciation of yesterday's memories. I absentmindedly looked at the wedding ring on my finger. It was simple enough; it had one solitary diamond with a thin gold band.

When the girls were done being fed, I got them dressed in matching dresses. When my mother found out that I had twin girls, she had gone on a shopping spree and bought so many clothes that I was afraid they wouldn't be able to wear all of the outfits by the time they started growing.

Severus stirred in his sleep and woke up with a bleary eyed expression on his face. He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes and looked at his watch. He jumped up and said, "It's noon!"

"Relax," I said easily. What was the big deal?

"Katherine, I have not been seen around the school for a day and a half now. What will everyone think?"

I thought about it for a moment and said, "Well, you could be buying more ingredients for your potion storage. Or out doing something for Dumbledore. Or maybe even spending the night with a pretty barmaid from the local pub."

I said this last thing in a teasing voice and he growled, "Not likely."

He strode over to me and took my small waist in one of his arms. He brought me close to him and kissed me fiercely, leaving me breathless when he stopped. When we broke apart, I laughed and said, "Well, maybe not the barmaid."

He smiled a sardonic smirk and let go of me. "You're ten times prettier than Rosmerta anyways," he said as he opened the door to leave.

"Yeah right!" I threw at him as he closed the door.

I sank down on the bed, still exhausted. I called for Dobby and he came immediately.

"Miss called for Dobby?" he inquired.

"Yes Dobby," I said warmly.

"Miss did not call for me yesterday," he observed.

"I had a family function yesterday that was mandatory; I took the girls with me," I explained.

"Ah," Dobby said absentmindedly.

"Do you think that you could watch the girls while I go to the library and get some homework done?" I ventured.

Dobby's face cracked into a huge grin and he said, "Miss has always asked me so kindly. I am always ready to do anything for Miss."

I grinned back and hugged him. "Thank you Dobby!" I said as I grabbed my book bag and ran out of the room to study.

I ran into Draco on the way there. "Watch where you're going Katherine," he bit sarcastically. Obviously he didn't remember last night, but it would come to him eventually.

I got to the library and saw Hermione there. She looked so beautiful today. The light was hitting her just right and her hair was piled up in a lofty bun on top of her head. I wasn't sure if she had changed, or if I had. I bounced over to her and took a seat next to her.

"Hey!" she said surprised. "Where did you come from?"

"My room!" I said playfully.

"Well, let me rephrase my question. When did you get back last night?" she asked.

"Two in the morning," I answered.

"Two!" she nearly screeched. "It's not that bad!" I said. "I had a chaperone!"

"Yeah, all bets that it was Professor Snape. He wasn't here at all yesterday," she said mockingly.

I turned an airy expression towards her. "He wasn't here yesterday? I never knew."

I threw my bag in a chair next to me and took out some parchment and quills. I worked for near half an hour when I looked up and saw Hermione staring at my left hand.

"What's that Katherine?" she asked quietly.

_Shit._

"It's a hand silly!" I said playfully, hoping that we could get off the topic soon.

"No, the ring," she persisted.

I swallowed nervously. "It's, uh, a centuries old family ring that my mother gave to me yesterday. This is the only finger that it fits on."

I knew she didn't buy it, and she knew that I knew that she didn't buy it, but she left it alone.

We worked for another couple of hours with her constantly stealing glimpses at my ring. I didn't want her to know that I could see her looking at it, so instead of taking it off and shoving it in my pocket, I left to go to the Gryffindor common room, bidding her goodbye.

I climbed through the portrait hole and saw Ron with Harry. Harry saw me and made a beeline for his room. He didn't want to be around me since our episode. And I didn't want to be around him either. I moved over to Ron and sat down. I remembered to take the ring off before I saw anyone else.

"Hey," I said as I sat down.

"Hey," he said somewhat glumly. His shoulders were hunched over and his forehead was burrowed.

"What's wrong?" I inquired.

He sighed and said, "Things aren't going so well. Harry or Hermione won't tell you this because they don't want you to worry, but..."

He trailed off and seemed to think about whether or not he should finish. He decided on not keeping me in the dark and picked off where he left off.

"Harry has been having dreams again. Dreams where he can see what Voldemort is doing."

I sucked in my breath. If Harry could see into his mind, what kind of things was he seeing?

"He's been seeing a hallway, with a door at the end. He doesn't know what it means, and it's been killing him. He just had the dream last night."

I almost cried with relief. Thank God he hadn't seen anything he shouldn't have.

"It's been hard on Harry. I know you don't want to hear this, but his breakup with Cho was hard. And he's been stressing about Sirius and these dreams," he concluded.

He rubbed his eyes and stood up. "I think I'm going to go take a nap before dinner," he said.

He bid me farewell and I pondered on these dreams. What was happening?

I walked back through the portrait hole and went down into the dungeons. I knocked on Severus's door and waited. He opened the door and smirked.

"Yes Miss Malfoy?" he inquired sarcastically.

"I had a question to ask you Professor," I said carefully, in case anyone was within earshot.

"Come in," he said in a bored voice.

He closed the door and turned to me. I sat down on a chair and turned on my serious face.

"Severus, what do you know about a corridor with a door at the end of it?" I asked bluntly.

He kept his emotions in check, but his face turned white.

"And how would you know about that?" he asked smoothly.

"Harry has been having dreams about it; it disturbs him," I said matter-of-factly.

His face turned slightly red and he said dangerously, "So, you've gone back to Potter."

I look at him with an annoyed expression on my face and said, "Don't be stupid. Ron told me."

He had a dangerous glint in his eyes and said, "Don't call me stupid."

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. I just-"

I took another deep breath and said, "I just can't believe that you would think that I would go back to Harry after all of this."

He glanced at my hands and his eyes narrowed.

"But you're not wearing your ring," he accused.

"Only because Hermione was asking questions about it! I can't bloody well tell her that I'm married to my Potions Master and bore his children!" I shouted.

"No, you can't, because who would want to bear the children of the worst candidate to have offspring on the face of the planet?" he taunted, bringing back previous insults that I had thrown at him but instantly retracted.

The anger built up in my chest. It was blindingly hot. I literally could not see straight.

"That's not fair!" I yelled back, tears streaming down my face. "You know that I never meant that!"

"How do I know that? You obviously have reservations about telling your best friend about us," he sneered.

"You're being completely irrational! You know that we can't let anyone know about us!" I screamed into his face.

I turned to run from the room, but Severus was much quicker than that. He blocked the door and I slammed my tiny hands on his chest, demanding through my tears that he let me leave. Instead, he took both of my wrists in one of his hands and put another around my shoulders. I cried into his chest and I could feel him go rigid from guilt.

"Shush," he said soothingly. I poured out all of my tears into his shirt, my anxieties about Voldemort getting his hands on my children, about Severus possibly being killed one day, this pointless drama with Harry that never seemed to end. Eventually my tears died away and I looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I can't help myself."

I searched in his eyes and found that he truly was sorry. I said just as quietly, "I forgive you."

His head slowly bent down to mine and his lips took mine in a sweet kiss. It got progressively more heated and he let go of my wrists so that he could wrap his arm around my waist, bringing me even closer to him.

I snaked my arms around his neck, responding eagerly. I felt as if my soul was on fire.

Suddenly he reached down, threw an arm behind my knees, and lifted me as if I weighed nothing to him. He carried me to the door that led to his room and kicked it open forcefully, almost knocking the door off its hinges. He set me down gently and locked the door behind us.

For the sake of keeping just one thing private in my life after having told everyone everything about myself before and after the war, I never told anyone what we did behind locked doors.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	43. Chapter Fortythree

Katherine and I lay in bed after spending the afternoon together. She lay curled up in my arms taking a small nap before dinner and I couldn't help but thinking how perfect she looked even in sleep. Her face was peaceful and without the burrows of the worry lines that she usually wore. Her soft eyelashes fanned across her high cheekbones and a stray curl was laid across her collarbone. Her small mouth was set into a small pout, as it usually, unconsciously, was.

I remembered everything so vividly. The fight, the kiss, carrying her to my bed, her excitement. I wasn't likely to forget it soon, and I didn't think that she would either.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she grinned at me. "Hello," she said softly.

"Hello," I replied, unable to keep the smile off of my face.

She looked at me seriously and said, "Is this how every couple makes up after a fight?"

I threw back my head and laughed. I kept forgetting how new she was to everything. I looked back at her and said, "Only the lucky ones."

Knowing she had said something funny, but not sure how, she smiled back slightly with her brilliant smile. Merlin, she was gorgeous.

She stretched like a cat and squeezed her eyes shut. When she finished she opened her eyes and saw the clock beside my bed.

"It's six!" she yelled in surprise and frankly fell out of the bed in her hurry to get dressed. She threw on a shirt and tugged her skirt up over her small hips, zipping it in the back. I watched in amusement as she realized that she had accidentally donned my shirt and then switched it for her own blouse. I snickered and she gazed at me questioningly.

"What's so funny?" she asked. I pointed to the clock next to the bed which said five instead of six. She groaned in embarrassment and plopped back down on the bed. I snaked my arms around her waist and pulled her backwards towards me, making her shriek in delight at the surprise attack. She protested mildly, and I silenced her with a kiss.

We broke away and she lay languidly in my arms. Then she shot up and said, "I have to go see Dobby! I asked him to look after the girls!"

She ran from the room, promising to talk later. I sighed and got up from the bed. I put a robe on and saw the Katherine had left her shoes. I got dressed and decided to take them to her.

I walked up to the third floor and found her room. I knocked and she said, "Come in."

I went right in and said, "You left your shoes in my-"

I froze when I saw Miss Granger sitting on Katherine's bed. Her mouth fell into a perfect "O" and Katherine looked ready to die.

Oops.

_Author's Note: I know this one was short, but I hope you guys liked it. As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	44. Chapter Fortyfour

_What a strange turn of events._

"Why does he have your shoes Katherine? And tell me the truth! No more secrecy!" I demanded.

She heaved a sigh and looked at Snape. He insolently sat down in a chair next to the cribs and took one of the babies out to hold her.

All of a sudden it was clicking in my mind. The reason he was there the entire time she gave birth, why Draco had told everyone everything in his class. Why the both of them hadn't been there yesterday. The ring on her finger.

"Dear God!" I shrieked, and tried to run out of the room. With a casual flick of his wand, Snape made it to where I couldn't get out and I turned a savage face on him.

"Let me out," I said menacingly.

Katherine turned a disapproving face to him and he shrugged his shoulders. "As long as you promise to hear us out," he said, and waved his wand again to take the enchantments off of the door. I stood almost frozen with shock. Katherine had him wrapped around her finger.

"Explain!" I said, unsure if I could hear the entire thing without fainting.

Katherine looked at Snape for encouragement and he nodded his head. She turned to me and said, "Well, for starters, the man that night was Severus-"

I cut her off there. "You call him Severus?" I asked incredulously. She nodded sheepishly and blushed slightly. I sighed. "Go on."

She hesitated, but started back up. "Anyways, that man was Severus and we… Conceived together."

I thought I was going to vomit. But I held back because Katherine was so obviously smitten with Snape.

"Voldemort ordered us married and that's why we were both out of the castle yesterday," she smilingly concluded.

She obviously didn't mind that Voldemort ordered her to marry him, and he didn't seem to mind either. I glanced over at him and he was cradling one of the twins with a look of fatherly pride on his face. He didn't seem to know that his heart was so plainly on his sleeve, or maybe he didn't care.

Then it dawned on me. "This means you're one of them," I whispered to no one in particular. Katherine rushed to me and put her hand on my arm. "Sweetheart, it doesn't mean that I'm one of them! Far from it!"

I wrenched my arm from her grasp. "I can't believe it. Months of you preaching that you're nothing like Voldemort, and all this time you've been shacking up with his right hand man!"

She flinched at what I said and Snape slowly put the baby back in the crib, as if he was ready to defend Katherine at any moment. This only fueled my ire even more; she was in this deep with them.

I spun on my heel and made to march from the room. I slammed the door shut and could hear Katherine practically wail her despair. I went to the Gryffindor common room and went up to my dormitory. I didn't feel like eating.

-00000-

I sat down on the bed and had an empty feeling in my chest. The butterflies that were fluttering in my stomach had died and I wanted to cry for the second time that day. Immediately Severus was next to me, holding me, comforting me.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. I sniffed and said, "It's not your fault, it's mine. I should have asked who it was first."

He put his hand under my chin and made me look at him and said, "She'll come around."

I knew this somewhere deep inside me, but I couldn't help from grieving at the temporary loss of my best friend.

He kissed the top of my head and left because he had papers to grade. I sat there, stewing in my own misery from the scene with Hermione. Around six-thirty, I got up and went to the Great Hall. I called Dobby to look after the girls while I was gone and when I got there I sat with Ron. Hermione was nowhere in sight.

Harry sat down across from Ron and didn't even acknowledge my presence. I felt like kicking something.

About fifteen minutes later, Hermione came through the doors and sat on Harry's right. She looked at me for two seconds while I mutely pleaded with her to understand. Then she looked at her plate and started eating.

I didn't each much, I just picked at my food. I looked up at the head table and saw Severus looking down at me in worry. I smiled a small smile to tell him I was ok. I looked back at my food and stood up. I abandoned my friends at the table and went back to my room to be with my children.

_Author's Note: Two in one night! Yay! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, as always review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	45. Chapter Fortyfive

I wanted to break something. I was still seething about Katherine and Snape. Them together. Shacking up all these months, having children together.

I was revolted.

I wanted to vomit my dinner. I was still sitting at the table, moodily stabbing my food with a fork. I looked up at the head table and saw Snape sitting there, looking at me with a dubious expression on his face. I glared daggers at him and returned to my food.

He came down from the head table a while after and said, "Miss Granger, I need to speak to you in my office after you are finished eating. I need to talk to you about your essay."

I smirked. I knew it wasn't about my essay. It was about Katherine.

"Fine," I threw at him and shoved myself out from the table. "We can talk now actually."

Harry and Ron had befuddled expressions on their faces, but I let them be. Snape looked mildly surprised but motioned for me to lead the way to his office.

I marched down to the dungeons, ready to tell him off. I reached his office and didn't wait for his permission. I yanked the door open and strode inside, taking a solid stance in front of the desk, not looking at him until he walked around the desk to face me.

He flicked his wand at the door and it instantly closed with a "click". He sat in his chair and motioned for me to do the same. I opted to stand.

"You will not tell your friends about what you learned this afternoon," he instructed with a stern face. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest, not saying a word the entire time.

"Furthermore," he started. His face slightly softened. "I hope that you'll talk to Miss Malfoy about what happened. She is highly distressed."

I scowled at him and said, "There's no need to call her 'Miss Malfoy' anymore since she's married to you."

"You know what I mean Miss Granger," he said with a furrowing of his brow. "Katherine is upset."

"Tell me about you and Katherine," I said suddenly. I needed to know his side of everything.

He paused. "Well, she was arguing with the Dark Lord and he ordered us to be married, so-"

I cut him off and said, "From the very beginning. The night Cedric died."

His face turned to stone. "That's rather personal, isn't it Miss Granger?" he questioned quietly.

"That's not what you were saying to Harry when he begged for privacy during one of your Occlumency lessons," I threw at him.

"This isn't the same," he insisted.

I stood my ground. He stood up and laid his hands on the desk, leaning towards me. "If you're so adamant about hearing the whole story, then maybe you should ask Katherine," he said slowly.

I shook my head vehemently. "I want to hear about it from you," I said solidly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. He stayed there for a good ten seconds. He opened his eyes and looked me dead in the face.

"I can't tell you," he whispered.

I unfolded my arms and asked, "Why not?"

"The situation is so delicate… I cannot divulge any more information…"

A strange look came over his face and he whipped out his wand faster than I could blink an eye. I reached for mine when he whispered an incantation, and my mind went foggy.

I couldn't remember anything from that afternoon.

_Author's Note: Yeah, Sev performed a memory charm on Hermione. It was needed. Anyways, as always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S- I don't know why I should have to say this, but someone who commented on one of my other stories has prompted me to. If you don't have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, please do not comment. _


	46. Chapter Fortysix

"How could you have wiped her memory!" I yelled at Severus. "Are you mad?"

"She was asking too many questions," he said in his usual calm manner. He didn't seem to be too bothered by what he had done. In fact, he seemed to be quite amused by my shouting.

"Wasn't keeping this a secret just what we were arguing about earlier this afternoon?" he pondered thoughtfully.

"Never mind that!" I yelled while pacing the room, my hands gesticulating with every nuance and emphasis of each word. "What if someone found out that you cleaned out her memory? What would Dumbledore think or do?"

(It wasn't until months later that I found out that Dumbledore nearly laughed his head off at everything when Severus told him.)

"Dumbledore would not care in the slightest," he droned, obviously losing faith in my spectacular performance of my anger. Fire was about to shoot out of my nostrils because of his lack of concern.

I decided to ignore that last comment. "Do you even think?" I threw at him.

"Shut your mouth woman," he growled. His face seemed to be made of stone and he had something akin to a murderous glint in his eyes. I knew it wasn't necessarily this, but it made me realize that I had gone too far. Calling him crazy was obviously one thing, but insinuating he had no brains was another. The same thing could be said for calling him a coward as well.

"Now you listen to me," he said in a quiet, dangerous voice. "I did this to keep our secret safe, something you have wanted, and needed from the beginning. She was asking too many questions, and the answers cannot be known at this time. Even if I had told her and she swore secrecy, Granger is too close to Potter to keep this a secret for long."

He paused and drew himself up to full height; he was exactly a foot taller than me when he did this. I had to crane my neck to see his face clearly.

"And you- you have no idea how much I have trusted you with my deepest secrets, secrets that not even the Dark Lord knows. I should have wiped _your_ memory because the Dark Lord could easily infiltrate your mind and garner the most valuable information that could get me killed, but I have not. Count your blessings Katherine."

With the finish of his fantastical speech, he swept from the room. I just sat in a chair in his living quarters, dumbfounded.

_What a hypocrite I am, _I thought miserably. _And I was such a bitch to him. Insinuating he was an idiot. _

I sighed and flopped down on his bed, awaiting his return so I could apologize.

Eventually it turned late and I was forced to go back to my own room. I left Severus's room disheartened and consoled myself with Posy and Melanie.

_Author's Note: Thank God, she's been taken down a notch. Personally, Katherine was starting to get on my nerves a little bit, even though I love her dearly. I love playing on both their tempers, even though Sev's is a bit more restrained, because it's so much fun. :) Anyways, you guys are always welcome to review your comments and things you would like to see in the next few chapters. Until next chapter! :)_

_P.S- I'm not going to write a chapter on this (unless strongly provoked to), because I think it would take up too much time, but Severus went to a bar that night._


	47. Chapter Fortyseven

I didn't talk to Katherine after our fight. In fact, it was two weeks before I talked to her again outside of a classroom setting, or saw my children. I didn't want to have to go through Katherine to see the girls.

I had done nothing wrong. I had only done what I thought she wanted, what she had at least _said_ she wanted since the beginning of all this. To keep it a secret. So I wiped Miss Granger's memory.

There was nothing wrong with that.

One day after a potions class where I took several points from Potter, Weasley and Longbottom, Katherine stayed after. She looked infuriated and extremely hurt. She stood near the door, as if she was prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

She crossed her arms and asked, "Why haven't you been to see Posy and Melanie in two weeks?"

Amazing. Simply amazing the way her mind worked.

I put on my most bored face and drawled, "I thought I had to go through the lioness to see my children. I didn't want to put up with a woman who didn't want to talk to me."

"Bull shit. You know that for the past couple of weeks it's been you who doesn't want to talk."

She wasn't wrong there. The woman had called me an imbecile.

She started to cross to me but thought better of it and stayed put.

"I stayed there for you until curfew," she said softly, and I could tell that she was extremely hurt that I didn't come back.

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I was. That I didn't mean it." Her voice then took a nasty turn. Any apologetic feelings she had felt, had obviously long dissolved into anger.

"But you didn't come back! You haven't spoken to me in two weeks! And even if you were angry at me, it is no reason to take it out on your daughters!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you are an extremely unpleasant person to talk to whenever you're angry?" I said with my voice and temper rising. "That's why I haven't talked to you in two weeks, and by extension why I haven't come to see the twins, because I knew you would be angry!"

By this time I had strode over to where she was standing and we were almost nose to nose. Well, we would have been if she wasn't so short.

"Stop it Severus!" she yelled up at me. "You don't need my permission to see your daughters, you go right on ahead!"

"But you would make it into a huge ordeal, like you always do," I sneered.

Never had she so been so adept at raising my ire. The anger was building in my chest. My mind flitted to the thought that Lily would have never treated me like this. She had only done this to me when I had accidentally called her a mudblood. I conceded that I had done something wrong at that time. This time was different. I hadn't done or said anything that was morally or ethically wrong.

I seemed to be bringing the child out in her. She literally stomped her foot and yelled shrilly, "I do not make everything a huge ordeal! Don't be so thickheaded!"

There it was again. She had called me an idiot. I saw red and before I even knew what I was doing, my hand reared back and came in contact with something that felt horribly like flesh. Katherine's head whipped to the left and I saw the beginnings of a purple bruise in the shape of a hand. She hurriedly covered her face with her hand and looked at me with surprise, hurt, and fear. Her other hand reached behind her and fumbled for the doorknob. After trying desperately to find out, her fingers finally grasped the knob and she wrenched the door open, never taking her eyes off of me lest I try and slap her again. She backed out through the doorway and turned to run, slamming the door behind her. I jerked the door open and called to her, "Katherine, wait!"

I wanted to take all of it back, to go back in time and reverse all of it. She ran through the hallways, trying to get to her room I assumed. I didn't care that students were looking at us in a weird way while we were running. I knew it looked strange, but all I needed was to comfort Katherine, let her know that I was wrong, so wrong, terribly wrong, and that I had never meant it. All of my biting words, the hand across her face, not seeing the girls for two weeks. Everything.

"Katherine, come back!"

She only ran faster.

_She thinks I'm coming after her to do it again, _I suddenly thought. I stopped in my tracks and watched her go.

_I didn't even last a month being a husband. I've messed up royally._

I trudged to my living quarters and wrote on a piece of parchment that my classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. I stuck it on the door to my classroom and went back into my rooms. I grabbed a bottle of brandy and drank it as fast as I could, trying to drown the horrid memories.

Everything got hazier and hazier and I could hardly remember who I was or how much I had drunk, let alone what had happened that morning. I knew it would all come back eventually, but I needed this. Now.

_Author's Note: Sev's temper got the best of him and now he wishes he hadn't done it. I feel bad. :( Anyways, as always, review your comments. Until next chapter! :)_


	48. Chapter Fortyeight

I didn't know how to cover it up. I tried so hard to. But I had to face all of my classmates the next day with an ugly purple bruise on my face that was so clearly in the shape of a hand.

_Author's Note: Short, but the next one will be in Ron's POV. I just needed to write this one thing in her POV._


	49. Chapter Fortynine

I went down to breakfast on Saturday and saw Katherine sitting at the table. She had been AWOL for the second half of the day yesterday and I was sure that she wasn't feeling well. My fears were confirmed when I sat down and she turned to look at me. There was a huge bruise on her face, suspiciously in the shape of a hand. I looked at Hermione who had tears forming in her eyes.

"Katy, tell us who hit you," she said in a soft voice while placing her hand on Katherine's. Katherine snatched her hand away and said venomously, "I told you, I fell!"

Even Harry looked concerned. "Katherine, it's so obviously a hand. Tell us; we'll get them for you."

Her eyes seemed to widen in fear and she whispered, horrified, "No. Don't do that. It'll only make it worse…" Then she seemed to realize what she was saying, shook her head and said firmly, "I'm telling you, I fell."

"Katherine, whomever you are trying to protect doesn't deserve you. I would have never treated you in such a manner," Harry insisted. I rolled my eyes. Not this again.

Katherine looked at him with steel in her eyes and said, "Bite me."

She got up from the table and walked away, only looking back once at the head table. I followed her gaze and saw Snape. I frowned. It was probably only a coincidence.

Hermione looked ready to burst into tears at the slightest provocation. Harry looked ready to kill someone, with or without his wand.

I figured I knew where Katherine would go, so I got up from the table without eating, figuring I could go to the kitchens to grab a snack later, and followed her.

I walked to the seventh floor and passed Barnabas the Barmy three times. A door materialized in front of my eyes and I opened it.

Katherine was sitting alone, crying. Her back was turned to me, but I could see every shaking movement of her shoulders and hear her every gasping breath. I thought I made out the words, "doesn't he love me?" but dismissed it quickly. She had long since gotten over Harry and there was no boy she was interested in at the present. She was too occupied with her daughters.

I walked slowly over to her and she stiffened at the sound of my footfalls. She whipped her head around and looked me dead in the face. Suddenly she seemed tired and said, "Go away."

Her heart wasn't in making me leave, I could tell. So I took advantage of that and sat down next to her. I put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close to me. She rested her head on my shoulder and cried out every tear she had. Her body was being wracked with sobs of complete and total grief. At one point I thought her fragile frame would break in two from the power that her shudders developed. Eventually her tears died down and she fell into a fitful sleep on my shoulders. It lasted about five minutes when she woke up yelling, "Don't do it!"

She looked around and remembered where she was and broke into fresh tears. I hugged her with my whole heart and let her know that I loved her and I hoped she was getting the vibe that I would kick anyone's ass for her. Even the greasy git Snape.

She hiccupped her way to recovery and looked me in the eyes. Hers were swollen and red and shined with some tears that were still trying to make their way down her cheeks.

I looked her dead in the face and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She mutely shook her head no and I responded, "Alright."

I hugged her again and said, "I'll kick their ass if you need me to."

She gave a nervous laugh at this and said, "I really appreciate it Ron. You're the best brother anyone could want."

"Mind telling Ginny that?" I muttered, trying to get her to laugh again. It worked, and she chuckled in appreciation. "She'll understand someday," she reassured me.

She sighed and said, "I should be getting back to the girls. I told Dobby that I would be gone only for a short while and it's been nearly two hours. I know he doesn't mind, but I hate to do this to him."

She heaved herself up from the ground and I followed suit. I gave her one last hug and said, "If it ever happens again, don't shield them. You find me."

She nodded her head and walked out the doors, leaving me to wonder who the mystery abuser was.

_Author's Note: I thought I would have a nice little chapter with Katherine and Ron. It shows that Ron truly is like a brother to Katherine and would do anything for her, and I think that sibling love is the truest kind of love you could have. Anyways, hope you guys liked, always review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	50. Chapter Fifty

_Yay, fifty chapters! Thank you to all who have stuck with this the whole time; you've been my inspiration and the thing that drives me to write! Let's hope to hit one hundred! :) LOL, if this goes the way I plan, there will be many chapters to come after this one…_

-000-

I circled the Dark Lord, craving his approval. I hungered for it, at all times. Everything I did was for the Dark Lord.

He sighed and I knew he was troubled. I went to put my hands on his shoulders and he threw them off. It did not deter me. I went to kneel in front of him.

"My Lord," I whispered. "Anything that you require, I shall do it for you. Anything to… relieve the stress."

I smiled in the most seductive way, hoping to gain his attention. He was not looking at me though, but seeing something in the distance. Anger bubbled up in me but I kept it down. The Dark Lord didn't call for me as much anymore and it disheartened me. As much as I hated almost anyone who wasn't me, I think I may have felt something akin to love for him. I never did for Rudolphus, even though he had proved to be a good provider and a strong follower of the Dark Lord's. But this was different. The Dark Lord was more powerful than Rudolphus could have ever dreamed of being. So I "loved" him.

"Would it be too forward to ask what you are thinking about My Lord?" I questioned quietly.

He got up from the chair, forcing me to stand up so he could stride over to the windows. He put his hands behind his back and said thoughtfully, "I am thinking of Belinda."

So he was thinking of that harlot. The woman that he had left me for years ago for a short time. I hated her. And she had given the Dark Lord something that I could not. I fumed silently thinking about it and resolved to make myself worthy of the Dark Lord, to do something that would take his mind from her once and for all.

I had to kill Harry Potter. And I would do it when we confronted him at the Ministry.

_Author's Note: Oooh, who do we think Belinda is? Hint: She's central to the plot, even though she might not make an "appearance". :) Bellatrix's POV for a change. :) As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	51. Chapter Fiftyone

I didn't speak to Severus for three months after our explosive fight. I was afraid of him, more afraid than I had ever been of anything in my life before, other than Voldemort.

I would get back to my room from classes everyday and Dobby would tell me that Severus had found some time for the girls in the day. I was relieved that he was coming to see the girls, but hurt that he wasn't trying to see me.

After our fight, he was cool towards me. There was no anger, yet there was no remorse. Just a neutral vibe that emanated from him whenever we crossed paths. We only ever talked when I was in class with him. And even then it was a little amount.

The first time I truly spoke to him after our fight was when I was pleading with him for help.

Exams had started and I was studying like no other. Hermione and I were both cramming together for the O.W.L.s in the library for hours on end, reading books until we fell asleep at the tables and Madame Pince shooed us out.

Then I would collapse on my bed in my room and sleep through the night. I was worried that I was sleeping too well because I never heard Melanie and Posy crying at night, but figured that they had just passed the stage of crying every two hours. Only after I had my son and he didn't pass that phase for months and months on end did I ask Severus why he was crying more than the twins ever did. He told me that he had taken them every night to let me sleep and woke up with them every few hours.

Somehow I got through most of my exams. With Umbridge constantly breathing down my neck, this wasn't exactly easy. Somehow she had heard that I was Voldemort's daughter and had been following me. One time she even pulled me aside and told me to stop being so delusional and following Potter's orders to try and infiltrate the Ministry. I snorted in her face and told her that if she didn't get out of my face I would send my father after her.

Surprisingly enough, even though she "didn't believe" that Voldemort was back, she didn't bother me about it again.

One day, an exam was interrupted by the Weasley twins exploding bombs everywhere and annoying the hell out of Umbridge. I laughed until my sides were sore. And then I could hear Hermione's panicked voice.

"Harry, are you alright?"

I ran over to the two of them and saw that Harry was sprawled on the ground, clutching his forehead, more presumably his scar, with his hand. I helped Hermione heave Harry off of the ground. He was mumbling something and looked terrified. We helped him back inside and into a chair.

"He's got Sirius!" he finally said coherently.

"What?" Hermione and I said in unison.

"Voldemort has Sirius in this room with shining orbs… He's telling him to get it off the shelves. I think it's the weapon."

I was skeptical about this. I tried to tell him that it probably wasn't happening and he had just dreamed it, but he was already making plans to sneak into Umbridge's office to use the Floo to see if Sirius was still at Grimmauld Place.

In the middle of his babble with Hermione and Ron, the latter who had just showed up and had been filled in on everything, I cut in.

"Harry, I don't think that this really happened. I think he's trying to manipulate you."

And I believed it with my whole heart. But Harry narrowed his eyes at me and said, "I think you just want Sirius to die. You don't care."

I threw my hands in the air in exasperation. "What would I have against Sirius?"

"You only want him dead to hurt me," Harry accused. "You know Voldemort has him."

"Fine Harry! I'm a selfish human being and my simple little girl's heart is still pining over you to the point that I would take someone you love out of existence just to gain your attention back little by little."

I stormed away to them making more plans to break into Umbridge's office.

I went to my room and paced. Voldemort would do anything to hurt Harry, I knew that, but this didn't seem right. It seemed phony almost, the way Harry described his vision. And then it dawned on me that Voldemort may have finally found the connection between their minds and was using it to his advantage.

I paced even more, wondering how I would convince Harry of this new revelation. I flew up to Umbridge's office. I took a small peak in and saw Ginny, Neville, Ron and Luna all being held by Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. I inhaled sharply, and Goyle looked in the direction of the door. I moved out of the way before he could see me and my mind started racing a million miles an hour. I couldn't leave all of them to Umbridge's cronies.

I poked my wand in the door ever so slightly and spoke a few well chosen words. Soon the entire office was filled with my smoke charm and I ran in, stunning Crabbe and seeing Ginny wave her wand to one of her famous Bat Bogey Hexes. Soon the entire Inquisitorial Squad was incapacitated.

Every one of them snatched their wands and Ron tore out of the room. Everyone seemed to be following him, so I did the same, wordlessly.

We made it to the edge of the forest and Hermione and Harry came bursting out of the foliage. Ron handed them their wands and he explained how we had all gotten away from Umbridge's office.

I took this time to jump in and say, "Harry, I think you're being set up. I don't think he really has Sirius."

"Sirius wasn't there when we flooed him, and he's always in that house," Harry said sharply.

I tried pleading with them all. "Please, don't be so rash! Maybe this is exactly what Voldemort wants! Let's tell Dumbledore."

I knew that Dumbledore had left the school after the D.A. had been dissolved because of Umbridge, but it couldn't be _too _hard to find him. It couldn't.

Harry snorted derisively and said, "He doesn't want to be bothered with me right now."

I panicked. If they went off to the Ministry and Voldemort was there, there was no telling who wouldn't make it back. Especially Hermione because she was muggle-born.

"Please Harry." I gave him one last pleading look in which he searched my face for something. Apparently he didn't find it because he turned to the others and said, "How are we getting there?"

I screamed in frustration and charged back up to the school. I flung the door to my room open and paced my room feverishly. Posy and Melanie could sense my excitement and fear and started crying out of fear themselves. I picked them both up and put one on both hip and kept up my steady circling of the room.

_What am I going to do? He won't listen to me…_

And then it dawned on me. I was going to have to shelve my fear and pride and go see Severus.

I called for Dobby to watch my children and ran down to the dungeons as fast as my little feet would take me. I got to Severus's office and placed a hesitant fist near the door, wondering if I could face my husband after not talking to him for months on end.

I didn't have to knock. He opened the door and stood there with his mouth positively gaping. I was sure I had the same dumbfounded expression on my face. I then pulled my face into something more urgent and cleared my throat.

"Severus, they're headed to the Ministry! They think it's the only way to save Sirius, but I know it's a trap, I just do. You have to help!"

He looked at me for a long time. I started squirming, thinking that he wouldn't help me at all after all this time apart.

"Please," I begged in the simplest way. I knew I didn't need a grandiose speech to convince him. If he wasn't convinced after you said "please", then he wouldn't help you at all.

My heart sank as he started his first sentence.

"Why should I help you after you have been nothing but extremely cold to me after everything that happened?" he inquired.

"This goes beyond a marital spat Severus! This is about protecting innocent people! And I'm sorry for calling you names over and over, but you don't seem in the least contrite about slapping me across the face!"

He blanched at my harsh words, and I knew that he truly was sorry. But it was going to be a long time before I could forgive or trust him again.

He seemed to reach a conclusion of his thought process and sneered, "Fine, I shall help Potter and his friends. "

I was relieved, and not too worried about the sneer. I knew that it was only to protect himself against the tongue-lashing he thought I might give him.

"What happened?" he asked sharply.

I relayed everything about Harry's vision and his assumption that it was the weapon Voldemort wanted. I told him that I suspected it was Voldemort playing with Harry's mind and Harry's obstinacy to my pleas, swearing that Sirius was in trouble because he hadn't been at the house.

"I fear for them Severus! I'm afraid they're walking into a trap; some of them might not make it out."

"Come in," he instructed. He took my hand and I walked through the door and sat on one of the familiar chairs, looking up at him expectantly.

"You are to not leave this room. Call for Dobby and have him bring the girls along so that the three of you won't be separated."

He flicked his wand and made some sandwiches and lemonade appear on his desk and said, "If you are hungry, there's some food."

He looked at me intently for a minute. I returned his thoughtful and searching gaze. He walked back over to me from the door and took my face in his hands. He kissed me once on the lips and pulled away swiftly; there was no time, he had to warn Dumbledore.

"Stay here," he warned. "And stay safe."

He exited the room, locking the door behind him. I expelled the breath I didn't know I had been holding and then sucked it right back in.

_What if they don't get there in time? What if someone dies?_

I called for Dobby and the girls and furiously paced around the room, picking up where I had left off only thirty minutes before.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	52. Chapter Fiftytwo

I bounded out of the gates that confined Hogwarts and stopped in my tracks. I could hear feet behind me. I whipped around and raised my wand at the same time, about to stop whoever was following me. It was merely Katherine.

I lowered my wand and practically shouted, "Didn't I tell you to stay in the office?"

She snorted derisively and said, "You didn't think you were really going to leave me behind, did you?"

I was furious at her obvious lack of concern for her own well being. "You can't go to the Ministry to fight your father's men! Think of your children growing up without a mother!"

She didn't back down from this. "I can't sit here wondering if everyone I care about is going to come back safely. I _need _to be there Severus."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. There was no negotiating with her. I wouldn't even make an appearance at the Ministry, so if she would just stay with me the whole time…

"Fine." I grabbed her arm a bit more roughly than I would have if I wasn't so angry with her and she tried to get free of my grasp, a look of alarm coming over her face. My heart sank as I realized that she was remembering the day I hit her, and was scared of me still. "I'm not going to smack you again," I said gruffly. At this she seemed to relax slightly, but still kept most of her guard up. I sighed and twisted in mid-air with my hand wrapped around her small wrist.

We appeared outside of the Order's headquarters. I walked straight toward it, but Katherine stayed behind, not exactly sure what I was doing. I then realized that she had never been told the address and quickly walked back over and whispered it in her ear. When I had finished my sentence, she gazed in wonder at the building, because it was now revealing its secrets to her.

I took her by the arm and pulled her across the road; we needed to get a move on. I burst through the door and saw Black carrying bandages in his arms.

"Snape! Katherine! What are the two of you doing here?" he asked concernedly.

"Your godson has just infiltrated the Ministry in search of you Black. He's had a vision that made him believe that you were being tortured by the Dark Lord in the Hall of Prophecies," I said icily. He dropped the bandages he was holding and looked at Katherine incredulously.

"Is he lying?" he whispered in a shaking voice.

Katherine shook her head and said, "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. He's gone, and taken the lot with him."

"What do you mean by the lot?" he asked sharply.

Katherine counted off the people on her fingers, starting with Granger and finishing with Lovegood. Black's face turned as white as a sheet, and he ran to the fire to Floo the rest of the Order. I waved my wand and sent my Patronus out with a message to several other members.

"If you'll excuse me Black, I have business to attend to elsewhere," I said smoothly.

"Off to join your master, are you? Going to fight my godson and hope you'll kill him?" Black asked impetuously.

Katherine gasped when I shoved my wand against his throat, about to hex him into oblivion. Instead of standing there though, she thrust herself between the two of us and used what little strength she had to put us both at arm's length, which admittedly wasn't much.

"Stop! The both of you! There are more important things to do!" she yelled in a shrilly voice.

Black and I glared at each other for a few seconds before I lowered my wand and he went back to Flooing the other members of the Order.

I looked at her and said, "Stay here with Black. He'll take care of you."

She shook her head and lowered her voice, "If you think I'm going to go anywhere without you, you're crazy."

We stared each other down for a while, and finally I had to give in. I still wasn't going to the Ministry, so there would be no harm in taking her with me.

"Fine." I said, and had a feeling of déjà vu. The same thing had happened only a half hour before when we were arguing outside of the castle.

I walked toward the front door with Katherine trailing me and Lupin came in the door when we were about to walk out of it.

"Pardon," he said politely. Then a look of alarm came over his face. "Katherine, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the castle, safe? Do you want to risk your life like your classmates? Being here is not sensible."

At Lupin's small speech, Katherine looked slightly abashed, but shook it off when she said, "I don't need protection. I'll be fine."

I choked back my disbelief. The woman was too self-confident for her own damn good.

"Where are the two of you going?" Lupin inquired concernedly.

"Trust me, she'll be safer where I'm taking her," I said silkily.

"Again, where are the two of you going?" Lupin asked, seeming a little annoyed.

"The Dark Lord. But he wouldn't dare take her to the Ministry, so she'll be safe."

I was so wrong.

_Author's Note: Fighting at the Ministry! I was going to give you guys a chapter in Harry's POV, but then I thought, that's ridiculous, they've already read everything about the fight from his POV from the book! So I didn't. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, review, and until next chapter! :)_


	53. Chapter Fiftythree

We walked through the doors of my house and Voldemort greeted Severus with a warm smile. Well, I guess you could call it warm; it at least wasn't condescending or cruel.

With words of greeting, he rushed us into the drawing room and we sat. I was so uncomfortable in my chair, for God knows what reason. It was my own house, the one I had grown up in. It was most likely because of Voldemort's penetrating gaze that he had set upon me.

"You're not pregnant," he said with a narrowing of his eyes.

"Of course not, I had the twins months ago," I replied, feeling uneasy by his probing questions.

"But I thought-" his eyes whipped over to Severus, "I told you to have more children."

Severus glossed this over, saying, "These things take time My Lord."

Voldemort huffed with disappointment and directed his next question at me, his voice full of malicious glee. "You do know your friends have walked into my trap?"

My back went rigid as I replied. "Yes, I do know. I told them not to go."

He looked about ready to kill me and squelched his anger for the time being. He smiled sarcastically and said, "Well, that wouldn't have been productive at all, wouldn't it?"

"Of course not. That was the point." I knew I was egging him on, but I didn't care. I was angry that all he ever thought of me was a simple-minded girl who could pop out heirs for him anytime he pleased.

This time he couldn't hide his anger. He stood up from his chair, looking as if he was about to come over to my chair and hex me, so I stood up as well, ready to defend myself. This threw him off and he sat back down. I did the same.

We danced a dangerous dance with our eyes, each other silently begging the other to do something about the situation so we could have a go at each other. At some point he decided I wasn't worth his time and said to Severus, "I need to be on my way to the Ministry to finish off Potter. Stay here, you can't be seen fighting with me. I need you in Dumbledore's good books as long as possible."

Severus nodded curtly and Voldemort walked to the door of the drawing room. He turned back and said, "I do hope Potter's mud-blood friend has been killed. It makes less work for me whenever I start my new regime."

He then strode from the room, laughing at what he thought was a hysterical joke. I clenched my teeth and I could feel a white hot rage ripping through my body.

_How dare he? How dare he…_

Seething, I ran after him. I knew that he wanted to get a rise out of me and would love seeing me so riled up, but I knew that seeing the stunned look on his face when I killed him would be too satisfying to give up, no matter how happy he may be from making me angry. Severus tried to stop me, but I wrenched my arm of his cautionary hand and tore after him in the night, stumbling down the front steps of my home, latching onto his robes to stop him when he turned in midair. I had a peculiar feeling of being pushed into a rubber tube, and then I felt sweet release whenever it was over. I doubled over, panting, and looked around.

We were at the Ministry, and Voldemort was giving me a glare that meant he would most likely kill me.

I knew I had gotten myself into something I wouldn't be able to wriggle out of easily.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! Until next chapter! :)_


	54. Chapter Fiftyfour

_The girl got my robes. She is here at the Ministry. She could ruin everything._

All of these thoughts were running through my mind when I turned around and saw the foolish girl panting from lack of oxygen.

"The prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! What do you think he'll say about that?"

At Harry Potter's voice I turned around and saw him crouched on the floor, his eyes shut as though in pain. It would be all too easy… But I decided to listen for more information.

"No, it's not true, you are lying!" Bellatrix screamed. Then she caught sight of me and ran over and fell at the hem of my robes.

"Master I tried- do not punish me! Please!" she screamed, practically crying into the bottom of my cloak.

"He can't hear you! He's not here!" said Harry Potter triumphantly, as if it was by his own design that I "was not present". I decided to reveal myself.

"Can't I Potter?" I said nastily.

His eyes flew open and he looked like a man who was about to receive the Kiss: fearful and sorry for what he said.

I searched his brain, for any inclination that he was lying to me. He was not. I was livid.

I raised my wand, pointed it directly at Potter's heart and said, "No Bella, he is not lying. His worthless mind says it all. Months of planning, and my Death Eaters have been thwarted by six teenagers…"

Bellatrix started her copious apologies and I put up a hand to stop her from babbling.

"Stop. Do you think I am here for you, to hear your whining apologies? No, I am here for Potter," I said dangerously.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" I screamed, hoping to finish off Potter once and for all.

"NO!" I heard a woman's voice scream behind me. I had forgotten my abject, abysmal daughter had come along as well.

But maybe she could be used.

I flicked my wand in her direction and against her own free will she walked towards me. She had a look of sheer terror on her face and I grinned because of it. Merlin I was going to love punishing the both of them at the same time.

I grabbed a fistful of her hair and vaguely thought that it was just like mine, when I had hair. Hair was such a nuisance.

Harry Potter had managed to dodge my killing curse, but I took my fist full of the worthless creature's hair and shook it in the air like a prize. She was lifted off her toes and gave a screech of pain. My grin became even wider.

"Come out Harry Potter! Come and meet me; or have your lover be tortured in front of your eyes!"

And then, despite the dreadful situation she was in, the woman actually snorted in laughter.

"If you really think that this will work, you're delusional. If you wanted to exploit any residual feelings Harry may have had for me, you should have tried ages ago. He does not care for me anymore," she said sarcastically with what I thought may have been a little bit of spitefulness. Nevertheless, I was going to win.

Despite her words against Potter loving her, he came out to face me. But instead of being able to get to him, a statue bounded across the room and shielded him from any of my spells. The girl could not have done it. But who…?

I turned around and saw Dumbledore standing at the golden gates of the lift, white and shaking with fury. This would be my grandest triumph yet; killing Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore in the same night.

I threw my daughter from me and she toppled to the floor. I heard a satisfying _crack! _as something in her broke, and she whimpered in pain.

I shot a killing curse at Dumbledore and he was gone in a whirl of his cloak. He appeared somewhere else and shot a spell at me. I did the same thing he did, by apparating to somewhere else so the spell could miss me.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said infuriatingly. "The Aurors are on their way."

As if the Aurors could take me. I cringed at my given name. A filthy Muggle's name that I highly resented.

I raised my wand and prepared to kill Dumbledore.

_Author's Note: Hope I managed to capture Voldemort's perspective well. I just thought it would be a nice change. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, as always, review, and until next chapter! :)_


	55. Chapter Fiftyfive

I could hardly breathe. I could feel that at least one of my ribs had cracked, and my wrist most likely as well. I wasn't going to be any help since it was my right wrist and I wouldn't be able to hold up a wand.

It was painful. Every time I moved my hand in the slightest, I almost yelped in pain. I tried to move over to Harry, to reassure him, to keep cover under the giant statue that was guarding him, but every time I even tried to crawl over there was a sickening sharp pain in my chest and I almost blacked out.

This was a great time to find out that I had absolutely no threshold for pain.

I stayed where I was and watched Dumbledore duel with Voldemort. It would have been absolutely fantastic if it weren't so frightening. I knew Dumbledore was dueling to keep Voldemort at bay before the Aurors got here, but Voldemort was dueling to kill. I was concerned for Dumbledore. Not that he couldn't hold his own, but I was still worried.

They were both very powerful, very great wizards. Only a fool wouldn't be able to recognize it.

Dumbledore encased Voldemort in a sphere of water and he shook it off. The water fell to the floor and Voldemort could not be seen anymore. Dumbledore looked frightened as he yelled for Harry to stay where he was.

Then with a yelp of pain, Harry clapped a hand to his forehead and I saw a fantastical morphing of Harry with Voldemort.

Harry's eyes when he opened them turned red, and his mouth was twisted into a cruel smirk.

"_Kill me now," _came Harry's cruel voice. It was Harry's timbre, and his mouth was speaking the words, but it was obviously Voldemort speaking the harsh sentences.

"_If death is nothing, kill the boy,_" Harry reiterated.

I was scared for Harry. I didn't know what was happening. But was quickly as it had come, it was gone. Voldemort had left the building for good this time and he had taken Bellatrix with him.

Aurors burst through the door and one man pointed towards where Bellatrix had been standing and said in an overly dramatic voice, "There Minister! I saw him there! You-Know-Who took a woman and Disapparated!"

Fudge was spouting gibberish. He looked completely flabbergasted at the appearance of the man that he had tried so hard to ignore for the past year.

Everything that happened next was a blur. Dumbledore approached the Minister and spoke to him quietly. Dumbledore sent out a patronus. He took the head of a shattered statue and made a portkey out of it. Harry walked over to me and asked if I was alright. I couldn't answer him; my head was swimming in pain. We took the portkey to Dumbledore's office.

No sooner than we arrived did Severus burst through the door, looking positively livid.

My heart sank. I knew I was in deep trouble.

"Miss Malfoy, if you would allow me to accompany you to the hospital wing," he said in a dangerous and barely controlled voice that underneath the smooth veneer was positively shaking with anger.

I took a look at Harry and started to shuffle my way to the door, but nearly dropped to the floor in pain from my rib. I brought my hand up to clutch my chest, but pain shot through my hand, wrist, and up my arm. There was no way I was going to make it all the way to the hospital wing.

Severus seemed to take little pity on me, but still asked in a softer voice, "Can you walk?"

"Kind of," I said nonchalantly, trying not to make more of it a deal than it was. I tried to take a few more steps and found that I had an extremely hard time breathing.

I made it through the doors though, and Severus closed the door on Harry's concerned face. As soon as the door was closed, he picked me up wordlessly and carried me to his living quarters.

"I thought we were going to the hospital wing," I said slightly accusingly. He didn't answer me, just laid me gingerly down on his bed.

He came back and rolled up his sleeves. He waved his wand over me and leant a critical eye.

"How did you manage to break two ribs, your radius and your ulna?" he asked skeptically while crossing his arms.

"I fell," I said defensively. I certainly wasn't going to tell him how I fell, it would only mean for a longer scolding session.

He turned a disbelieving eye towards me, but pointed his wand at my wrist and said, "Brackium Emendo."

Instantly my wrist was healed and I felt a million times better. Then he did the same for my ribs.

I sat up and Severus sat down next to me. He heaved a sigh and suddenly he looked very tired and very old.

"Katherine, you shouldn't have done what you did," he said quietly. I flinched. Yelling and screaming would have been so much more preferable.

"What you did was not sensible in the slightest. You have to remember to not let your anger get the best of you every time someone tempers it."

I would have commented that this was the pot calling the cauldron black, but I bit my tongue, letting him finish what he was going to say.

"I was worried senseless. And when Dumbledore sent me a patronus telling me you had been hurt; I thought the worst."

Tears of guilt were beginning to form in my eyes as I truly thought about this. My own temper, hard-headedness and stupidity could have killed me if Voldemort had not been distracted by Harry and Dumbledore. It was only luck that saved me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Severus sighed again and hugged me briefly. He got up from the bed and looked away and I capitalized on this time by quickly drying my eyes so he wouldn't see my damning tears.

"You were so angry in the office, I thought you were going to yell at me," I said in a half-teasing way, trying to make the mood a little lighter.

"I'm tired of yelling and screaming Katherine. It only leads to fights. And I don't want to fight anymore," he said slowly.

I felt like my brain was going a mile an hour. "But that's unreasonable Severus. You can't not fight in a marriage or when you're parents of children," I said dumbly.

"You know what I mean. Tiffs or disagreements, I would not mind. But the explosive fights that end with someone getting slapped or going too far in saying hurtful things; those are the fights that need to stop."

He crossed back to me and stared at me down his hooked nose and said, "How could we ever make this work if we're down each other's throats all the time?"

My tongue seemed to have been stolen and I couldn't think.

_Is he asking for a divorce when all this is over?_

But my fears were relieved whenever he said this next thing.

"I'm not saying that I want a divorce. I'm just saying that if this is going to work, _we _need to work on it. And the tempers need to be cooled. Both of them."

I nodded, agreeing with everything he was saying. Mostly because I was tired all of the sudden and wanted to wrap this up, but somewhere in the still-functioning rational part of my brain, I could tell that this was definitely what needed to happen.

He unfolded his arms and held a hand out. I took it and he pulled me from the bed and hugged me briefly.

"I'll escort you to your room. The twins are in there right now, and Dobby is looking after them. He says he'll stay with you all night if need be," Severus said.

"I don't think I need him to stay. I'll be fine," I said trying to convince Severus I would be fine, but mostly trying to convince myself.

I allowed him to walk me to my room where he left me and went back into the dungeons. I sighed and opened the door to dismiss Dobby for the night.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	56. Chapter Fiftysix

The last few weeks of my fifth year were a blur. Ginny, who had gotten a cracked ankle at the Ministry had been healed immediately by Madame Pomfrey. Ron had to spend a couple days in the hospital wing after having gone slightly mad at the Ministry and Neville had been no problem. It was Harry who had the problem of being healed up quickly.

After Dumbledore told him about the prophecy, he walked around in a slight daze for a couple days. Coupled with Sirius's death, it made for a dreary last few weeks for him.

I tried to enjoy the last few weeks at Hogwarts. I didn't know when I was going to see the castle again. But as the days went on, I found myself sinking into a more depressed state. No one but Hermione could seem to understand, not even Severus. Severus hated this school with a burning passion, but Hermione understood my love for this school and for learning. It was my main reason for staying.

Harry slightly understood. It was his haven from home as it was mine. I didn't want to go back home. Ever.

Well, that was an understatement. Not ever. Just until Voldemort died.

After hearing the prophecy, I was sure that he would. Voldemort had made his own enemy by making Harry as powerful as he was. If there was any justice in the world, Voldemort's greed for power would be his own undoing.

On the last day, right before I got on the train to go home, I sat on my bed and thought. I tried to find myself a way out of going home, a place where I would be held a physical and emotional captive until this war was over.

Finding no way out, I sighed and took the twins down to Severus's office. They would be staying with him until he went back to his house for the holidays. I knew that the girls' presence would not be welcome on the train. I kissed them goodbye and walked out to the train. I found the compartment that Hermione, Ron and Harry were sitting in and sat down, staring out the window. The train started to move and Hogwarts was sliding from my view. And like that, it was gone.

I felt empty.

The whole train ride was silent. No one really wanted to talk. Hermione just sat there with a book the whole time, I was contemplating methods of escape this summer, and Harry and Ron were playing a relatively quiet game of exploding snap.

When we reached Platform 9 ¾, my heart sank. I saw my proud family standing there, waiting for Draco and me to get off the train. I grabbed my luggage and hauled it off, barely speaking to my parents whenever they said hello.

Looking back, I guess I thought that if I ignored them, it would be less real. That, if I ignored them, I wouldn't have to spend the rest of eternity in their house, becoming a burden to society with my being uneducated, being able to do the most elementary of spells because of my lack of complete training. While other people were off learning how to produce patronuses, I would be stuck at home embroidering with my mother while my sadistic, unhinged biological father sank his sharp claws into my children, and I would be forced to sit back and watch.

I couldn't help but ponder on the paradigm of life not being fair. And then sink into a deep depression because of it.

I only snapped out of my depression when I had a fight with Voldemort. A huge one.

It was a July day, a very hot one at that. I had been sitting in the drawing room alone when my mother and Voldemort came in, parading the children about. They had just shown their magical abilities.

I was shocked. Children usually did not do so until the age of two, but here my children were less than half a year old and able to show off their magical prowess. I couldn't help but feel founts of motherly pride.

"They'll be powerful," I said fondly.

"They'll be my great successors," Voldemort said with relish.

The room stood still for a few moments. I let what he said sink in and then said slowly, "I thought you didn't want them."

"They may be merely girls, but they are obviously going to mature into powerful witches. I need grandchildren like this to keep my regime alive and well when I get into a feeble age."

"What about when you die?" I threw at him.

"I shall never die," he said with a puffing of his chest. The bat-crazy loon.

"Forget about the immortality you seem to think you have. You are not going to train my children in the Dark Arts and use them as your pawns. I will not allow it," I said defiantly.

"You have no bargaining room. Narcissa," he directed my mother. "Tell her how honorable it is to give one's children into my service."

I turned a shocked face to my mother who was standing there clutching Melanie, white as a sheet with her lips shaking in fear.

"Me?" I asked stupidly.

"Never you!" she burst. "It is Draco!"

Then she clamped her mouth shut, seemingly fearful of having said too much. She looked about to cry in anguish and agony over Draco doing something for Voldemort. Voldemort paid her no more attention.

"You will give your children over for training. I will not have them be such free thinkers, like you. Narcissa screwed up with you, a mistake I will not repeat. These children will come under my watchful eye and receive the best care and diligence anyone could ever give them. They would be great and powerful witches."

It is shameful for me to admit such a thing, but for a second I considered it. I saw a long vista ahead of me, living my shamefully uneducated life vicariously through my daughters who would become Britain's most powerful women, more so than maybe the Queen!

And then I remembered what sordid cause they would be running the country for, and I felt sick with humiliation and grief in my one moment of weakness in considering it. Which is why I threw myself wholeheartedly into trying to keep them away from him.

"NO! I will not have them become like you! Mutilated, unable to love and downright evil! I won't have it!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"Now you'll do as I say, or I swear to Merlin, I'll-"

"You'll do what? Kill me? That would be infinitely preferable to living under the same roof as you, a million light years better than not putting up a fight for my children! I won't do it I tell you!"

"Narcissa!" he howled, almost ready to hex me. "Take her somewhere where I won't have to see her! The sight of her face is making me sick! I do not want her back here during the school year, send her back off to Hogwarts! Merlin knows that I cannot deal with such an insufferable woman!"

I scooped up Posy in my arms and ran out of the room with my mother who was holding Melanie. I ran to my room to pack, disbelieving of my good fortune. If one fight with him was all it took for a promise that I could go back to school _and _a one way ticket out of this hell hole, I would have done it much sooner. Like, the day I got off the train.

"Where am I going Mother?" I asked quietly. I could hear Voldemort breaking things in the drawing room, and then mending them so he could break them again. He was beyond angry.

Mother shook her head and put a finger to her lips. We ran out of the gates of the house and caught the Knight Bus. From our house, we took the bus to a street named Spinners End.

Cradling my five-month-olds, I only noticed I was going to be staying with my husband when a hook nosed man opened the door to a tidy looking house on the street the Knight Bus dropped us off.

Thank God.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys liked! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	57. Chapter Fiftyseven

"My Lord," I whispered. I sat in a chair while he stood by the window, looking out at the grounds of the Malfoy Manor. "Don't you understand?"

"Of course I understand Bella," he said sharply. I was not deterred by his tone of voice. I pressed on.

"It is what you have wanted for so long… The thing you have craved most. And finally, you have triumphed! This time there will be no accidents because we know that this is exactly what we need. It will not be useless, unlike other plans."

"You do not need to convince me Bella," he said affectionately. "I've already been sold on it."

I grinned wickedly. This was my great plan. And now it was being realized in the best way possible.

There would be no stopping me when this plan was complete.

_Author's Note: Sorry for not updating sooner. I've been busy. Anyways, everything will be explained! Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	58. Chapter Fiftyeight

I was twiddling with my wedding ring, my tongue between my teeth, quill poised above the inkwell ready to dip back in, but unable to come up with what I would write next.

I was simultaneously writing to Pansy and Hermione, and trying to word myself carefully so I wouldn't give away that I was staying with Severus. I finished up with this on both of their letters:

_Posy, Melanie, and I are doing just fine! They're growing fast and we cannot wait until school starts to be back. Miss you lots!_

_Love,_

_Katherine_

Satisfied, I sealed both letters and waited for my owl to come back from delivering a letter to my mother. I glanced over to the cribs next to my bed and smiled fondly. They were down for a small nap, the small luxury that helped me write these letters. They were bound to wake up soon, most likely Melanie because she was usually the first.

Peter came into the room and I wrinkled my nose. He was always… Well, _creeping_, about the house, asking if I needed anything. He creeped the hell out of me to be frank. And Severus had never taken to him either. I think it was because he gave away Lily and James and ultimately caused Lily's death. This disturbed me a little, but I did not dwell on it much. It never did to dwell on memories that weren't the fondest.

"Can I get you anything my lady?" he murmured.

"No thank you Peter," I said rather coolly. Thank goodness this was his last day here. Then it would be just Severus and I.

"As you wish madam," he said oily, and left the room as quietly as he had come. I shuddered and went back to concentrating on the skies, willing Euripides to show himself and come back to me. And almost as if my call had been answered, he zoomed onto the ledge of the window with a letter in his beak.

_How odd. Mother didn't have much time to write back._

"You can stay here for a few hours and then I'll send you back out," I told him. He seemed grateful for this reprieve and flew into his cage. I fished a biscuit out of a drawer and held it up for him. He took it greedily in his beak and nearly devoured it two seconds later. What a pig.

I turned my attention back to the letter Euripides brought me and opened it. I hastily read the short note. I almost screamed from the news, but stifled it, and dropped the parchment as if it were on fire.

_This is too much…_

I snatched the letter from the desk where it had settled and bounded downstairs to find Severus. Halfway down, Peter stopped me and asked, "Do you need anything Miss?"

"Yes," I practically snapped. I had no patience for Peter right now. "Where is Snape?"

Severus and I had agreed to call each other by our last names until Peter left.

"He is downstairs milady. Would you like some refreshments?" he asked in the most slippery voice I had ever heard.

"No thank you," I said hurriedly and ran down the stairs. I searched the living room and the kitchen and came to the conclusion he was in his lab. I knew he didn't like to be disturbed when he was working, but this was glorious, terrifying news! It could not wait!

I ripped the door to his laboratory open and he whipped his head around to look at the intruder.

"Did I not tell you Katherine, that I did not like people coming into my lab? Or do you have a penchant for entering places that I ask you not to go to?"

I knew he was lightly teasing and alluding to the time when I broke into his classroom to figure out if I was pregnant, but I had no time to come up with a witty remark. I thrust the parchment into his hands and said, "Read it!"

He scanned the letter. His eyes became as big as galleons and he read it again. And again. And again.

"This is not a hoax?" he whispered incredulously.

"No," I said with tears in my eyes. "We are truly out of the dark!"

He picked me up in his arms and swung me about, laughing his relief. "Thank God!" he kept shouting. He set me down and pulled me into a passionate kiss that tingled all the way down to my toes and I could tell he truly was thankful that we never had to look over our shoulders again. To never fear for them again.

I read it one more time, just to make sure.

_Your Aunt Bellatrix is pregnant with your half-brother._

Fate was smiling upon us that afternoon.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys liked! Anyways, I got the idea from a fascinating essay I read about the possibility of Bellatrix having Voldemort's baby, and it appealed to me so much that I decided to use it. If any of you want to read it, I'm going to post the link in the comments. :) As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	59. Chapter Fiftynine

There was a knock on the door and I opened it, surprised to find Narcissa and Bellatrix standing on my doorstep. Narcissa looked harried and Bellatrix looked annoyed, almost as if she was disgusted to see such a horrid Muggle hovel. My house was actually quite clean though.

"Come in," I said in what I hoped was a gracious voice. I knew why they were here. This was all about Draco.

Once we had settled down and gotten tea, Narcissa started the conversation. "Severus, the Dark Lord has given Draco a task. I am- I am afraid for him," she started tremulously. Katherine appeared in the doorway and I silently and subtly jerked my head to indicate that she leave us. She nodded in understanding and disappeared. I knew she would be listening at the door anyways.

"But he has instructed me to not tell anyone," she continued. I cut her off by saying, "If the Dark Lord has ordered it, then you must not speak of it."

"Fortunately, I know what the Dark Lord has assigned for Draco."

"You?" Bellatrix sneered immediately. "Why would he trust you?"

"Bellatrix, I have forgotten to present my congratulations," I said coldly. "You must be so excited."

With her most bored face, she responded, "Yes, yes, whatever. But do tell me Severus how you manipulated the Dark Lord into entrusting you with his plans."

"I did not manipulate him," I said sharply. "He trusts me of his own free will. I have been a faithful servant these many years. He does not question my loyalty Bellatrix, and neither should you."

She smirked her disbelief and walked toward the fireplace, not looking at her sister or I.

"Severus please," Narcissa begged. "Could you watch over Draco? Help him should he… Fail?"

Her voice nearly broke on this last word and I felt sorry for her. I knew that this was a punishment for what happened at the Ministry. It was slow torture for them to watch their son try and fail, possibly even die attempting this mission. But Dumbledore was dying anyways, so what did it matter?

"I will try," I soothed.

"Make the Unbreakable Vow," Bellatrix said immediately. I paused. "Ha!" Bellatrix snorted. "He will try, but when it comes down to it, he will not lift a finger to help him."

I gritted my teeth at this insinuation. Draco was my godson, and I knew that even though he and Katherine were not on speaking terms, she would want me to protect him.

"Take out your wand Bellatrix," I said through clenched teeth. Bellatrix seemed surprised and Narcissa looked to be immensely grateful. We locked hands and while Bellatrix was performing the Unbreakable Vow, all I could think about was what I would eventually have to do. I would have to kill Albus. But there was so much time… I wouldn't have to worry about it until later.

When it was over, Narcissa and Bellatrix left without saying a word, the former not even requesting to see her daughter. I knew Katherine would be slightly hurt by this. The second the door closed on them, she bounded in the room and asked, "What is Draco supposed to do?"

I sighed and rubbed my temples in exhaustion. I was so tired all of a sudden, I was emotionally taxed. "It is not a big deal," I reassured.

"It obviously is if you made the Unbreakable Vow," she pressed on with a furrowing of her brow. She wasn't going to let this go.

"I cannot tell you what it is, but it is an important task that the Dark Lord would usually entrust to one of his more seasoned followers, but he gave the assignment to Draco."

"Why?"

_Should I tell her?_

"Because they want to punish your parents for what happened at the Ministry."

Her mouth gaped open, but she quickly shut it. She understood the implications of failing at the Ministry. The only reason Bellatrix wasn't being punished was because she was pregnant with the Dark Lord's child and the Malfoy's weren't being punished as harshly as they usually would because he was still begrudgingly rewarding them for raising his daughter for fourteen years. But that clemency was about to vanish, and the Malfoy's would fall harder than anyone had ever fallen in Voldemort's circle. Short of death. Maybe.

"Why didn't Mother ask to see me?" she asked, as I predicted, slightly hurt.

"I don't know."

"Does he have the Mark?" she asked quietly.

"I would assume so," I said airily. I made my way to my lab to work a little more, but was stopped by her question.

"Severus, I- I was thinking… You must have known my mother."

I froze in my tracks. I didn't want to talk about this right now. Not now.

"Severus?" she ventured.

"Do we have to talk about this now?" I said rather sharply. More sharp than I wanted it.

"I guess not," she said demurely. _This is so unlike her. She must really want to know_.

I sighed and rubbed my temples again and sat down on the couch. She plopped down next to me and picked up a book. She looked to be immersed in it, but I saw her sneaking sidelong looks at me every once in a while. I almost wanted to laugh.

I gave a melodramatic sigh and said, "If you really want to know…"

She practically threw the book across the room and focused all her attention on me. I cleared my throat. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"I don't know intricate details of your mother, but I do have a general idea of who she was and what happened to her. Your mother was a Burke, one of the wealthiest, oldest Pureblooded families in Britain. She had it all. Class, wealth, status, wit, charm. She was beautiful as well, although you look more like the Dark Lord in his more handsome days. Days that I've only seen pictures of."

"Well I would assume," she interjected. I gave her a look and she quieted down so I could finish.

"Belinda charmed her way to the top of the Dark Lord's social ladder, quite in the same position your aunt is in right now. And then she fell pregnant with you. She was merely eighteen years old. Her parents kicked her out of the house, and she sought refuge with Narcissa. She told the Dark Lord she was pregnant and, not wanting a child, he almost killed her for it. She knew you were a girl, but told him that it was a son so he would let her live long enough so she could give birth to you. When he found out you were a girl, he murdered her for having lied to him and begrudgingly kept you, hoping that he could possibly mold you into something. This never came to pass since you were about two whenever he died."

I paused. "I was only nineteen at the time you were born and couldn't help but think to myself, 'What have I gotten myself into? This cutthroat circle of people craving power that will do or say anything?' Shortly thereafter, the Dark Lord targeted the Potters and the rest is history."

She was oddly quiet after all of this. She was silent for such a long time, I feared she may have gone to sleep with her eyes open and I would have to explain it all again. Then she spoke.

"My mother died to save me?" she asked slowly.

"Yes. The same mothering instinct she had with you is one you have over the twins."

A look of awe and wonder came over her face and I could tell she was picturing a mother who loved her more than life itself, who protected her until her dying day. A mother who could have raised her with love, the one difference I saw between Bellatrix and Belinda. Even though Belinda had only slept with the Dark Lord for power, she had loved Katherine. And even though Bellatrix seemed to truly care for the Dark Lord, it was evident that she cared not one whit for her child except for the fact that it would solidify her position for as long as this war went on.

For a while, Katherine did nothing but stare dreamily into space, picturing a happy childhood with Belinda. She did this until tears formed in her eyes and one spilled over onto her cheek, making her conscious of her crying. She shoved an arm across her face and stood up slightly red eyed, and said, "I have some summer homework that I need to finish up. I'll start dinner in an hour or so."

She practically ran to her room and I put my head in my hands. I felt like I could sleep for a thousand years because of how tired I was.

_Author's Note: Yay! Katherine knows about her mother now! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	60. Chapter Sixty

The night before I was supposed to get on the Hogwarts Express, Severus gave me the news.

"You're teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?" I practically yelled. One of the twins rolled over in their crib and gave a soft cry, so I brought my voice down a couple of octaves.

"Who's going to teach Potions now?" I asked interestedly.

"A man named Horace Slughorn. He is an exceptional Potioneer; he actually taught me when I was in school. But I'm sure Dumbledore has more reasons for hiring him than his skill."

He said this last sentence rather cryptically. I knew that he knew what was going on, but I knew he wouldn't tell me, no matter how hard I pressed the issue. So I didn't say anything.

"It's just what I always wanted, to teach my favorite subject," he said rapturously. He was practically glowing. But I knew that even if DADA was his favorite, he would be missing his lab desperately by Christmas. I didn't mention this though because he would vehemently deny it.

"I'm sure that you'll be fantastic at it," I told him, and I truly meant it. If anyone could do the job right, it would be Severus after all of his years of… Well, spying.

The next day at the crack of dawn, Severus woke me up and took me to my house to travel to the station with my family. Still slow from sleep, I threw my hair into a ponytail and tried to rub my eyes awake. I yawned as I dressed the twins and packed the rest of my things. Severus was constantly looking at his watch, as if we were ten minutes from the train leaving.

"Don't be so uptight Severus," I scolded gently as I changed the twins diapers. He seemed to relax an infinitesimal amount and smiled slightly. "I'm not uptight," he said defensively.

I rolled my eyes, straightened up, and said, "Ready to go."

He smirked as if to say "finally" and magicked my school trunks into the air. I picked up the twins and we headed out the door. We Apparated to the Manor and I kissed Severus goodbye before we entered the doors. "Take good care of them," I said fretfully. Not that I didn't think he would be fine for the few hours I would be without my children, I just had horrible separation anxiety. I actually thought about it and calculated that I would be without them for about thirteen hours. I worried.

We walked through the doors and Mother greeted us in her usual attire. I assumed Draco was not up yet (he never got up until about 9:45 on these days, always giving Mother a heart attack) and saw that Father was in the dining room eating breakfast and reading the Daily Prophet. The headline was about Voldemort and trying to find the twelve escaped Azkaban prisoners. He smirked at the article and threw the paper aside when we walked in.

"Katherine, how I've missed you!" He got up from the table, strode to where I was, pulled me into a tight hug, and pecked the top of my head. This was all a show, because I could see under his easy exterior that he was extremely stressed. I was worried for him but couldn't help but think, _Serves him right. He deserves to be stressed for following Voldemort and having a two-faced job at the Ministry._

I felt slightly guilty at this thought, but brushed it away as quickly as I could. I came out of my reverie and saw him shaking hands with Severus, thanking him for putting up with me for half the summer. Severus put on his most annoyed face and said, "Your daughter was nothing but a trial Lucius. I could see why the Dark Lord wanted her out of the house. But I do not see why the twins had to come along as well, they cried incessantly."

"Surely you feel some affection for your children or even your wife," Father said uneasily.

"I have told you Lucius from day one that this marriage is nothing to me. She is a student of mine, nothing more. As for the children, I do feel fond of them but I hate the crying. It's very inconvenient when you're trying to work," he said in a bored voice.

He gripped his wand a little more than he usually would, a sign that showed he was nervous. No one else noticed it though and everyone in the room gave a virtual shrug, but Father still had a concerned look on his face.

Severus left shortly thereafter with the twins and Draco woke up promptly at 10:00. We hurried to King's Cross and barreled through Platform 9 ¾. Draco and I hauled our things onto the train and I greeted Hermione and Ron, hugging them and squealing with delight at seeing them again. I thought I would never until a few weeks ago.

For the first time ever, Father stepped onto the train and motioned for me to follow him. Confused, I stepped down from the train and followed him to a place that was relatively quieter than the rest of the platform.

He took a deep breath and said in a rushed voice, "Has he been rude to you? Has he hurt you? Touched you in any way? Because if he has, I promise you I'll kill him with my bare-"

"Father!" I exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, he was there today whining about you and the twins and I just thought…"

His voice trailed off, as if the things that Severus Snape could say and do to me were too horrific to say out loud. I almost laughed.

"Father, while he may complain, Snape does not say anything out of line to me. Or do anything out of line."

As an afterthought, I added, "For his standards, he was a perfect gentleman."

At this, Father seemed to relax and said, "Good then. Well, on the train with you."

I hugged and kissed him one last time and hopped on the train. I hung out the window to wave goodbye and blow kisses at my parents for as long as I could until I couldn't see them anymore. Then I settled down into my seat and started a conversation about the summer with everyone in the compartment.

Not even ten minutes into the train ride, a seventh year from Hufflepuff that I had seen around the school many times came into our compartment and handed parchments to Harry, Hermione and I without saying a word. He looked at me for a while, and then turned abruptly to leave.

_How odd_, I thought as I unfolded the parchment. I then saw that it was an invitation to join a Horace Slughorn in his compartment on the other side of the train. The name rang a faint bell, so I turned to Harry and asked, "Do you know who this is?" while waving the parchment around in the air.

"Yeah, he's the new teacher. I met him over the summer," Harry replied.

"Wonder what he wants," I said aloud while moving to the door. Harry and Hermione followed me, just as perplexed as I was. We reached the compartment and opened the door.

The man looked like a walrus.

"Come in!" he boomed jovially. I hesitated for a moment, but Hermione pushed me forward and I took a seat around a large table which held some other students already. Neville and Ginnny were there, as well as my brother and a Slytherin named Blaise Zabini.

"Don't tell me!" he cried. He pointed a finger at Hermione and said, "You're the Malfoy's daughter!" Then he pointed a stubby finger at me and said, "And you're Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of your age!"

"Like that filth would be my sister," Draco whispered to Blaise who sniggered. I turned narrowed eyes onto him and he sobered up immediately. I turned to Slughorn and said, "You have the two of us mixed up. That is Hermione, the brightest witch of our age."

He looked confused as he said, "But you look nothing like the Malfoy's."

"Not to say that you're not as striking as Narcissa, who was one of my students," he added on.

I laughed a laugh devoid of mirth and said, "That is because they are not my real parents."

Sensing the closing in on a juicy story, he picked up a drumstick, leaned back in his chair, and, with a twinkling of his eyes, said, "But then who are your parents?"

Not caring what the prying walrus thought, I said, "Lord Voldemort and Belinda Burke."

Everyone who had food in their mouth nearly choked, Slughorn dropped his drumstick, and, upon seeing everyone's reactions, Hermione snorted into her goblet, something no one else but me saw.

"But my dear, you cannot be serious!" he said in a panicked voice.

"I thought you knew! Everyone knows it!" I said in a mock surprised voice. I don't know why I was being so rude to him, but something about him just rubbed me the wrong way. I got more comfortable in my chair and started to eat. Everyone just stared at me for a few seconds until Slughorn cleared his throat and said, "Well, Draco, I hear your father is very well-to-do at the Ministry! He was one my students you know! He was actually a part of the Slug Club!" He said this with a gesturing of his arms which made me realize this was a prized collection of Ministry official's children, smart and powerful students, and children of famous wizards and witches. Like Blaise, whose mother had been married more times than even she could count, each one mysteriously dying and leaving her with an enormous pile of gold.

"And Mr. Longbottom," he said as he turned to Neville. "I hear that your parents were legendary Aurors with extraordinary talent."

"Yeah, but I didn't inherit any of it," said Neville, almost as if he knew where the conversation was headed.

With a disappointed look on his face, Slughorn turned to his next victim, Blaise. The train ride went on like this for hours, him dissecting each and every one of the other students in turn, all the while never meeting my eye or speaking to me again. For some reason, I made him uncomfortable.

I knew exactly why, but I was still offended that I would be treated as equally guilty as Voldemort when I had done nothing wrong.

I was extremely happy to get off the train, go to the feast, and then see my children again.

_Author's Note: You can bet that Katherine's not going to get another invitation to the Slug Club again! Unless you guys really want her to. ;) Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	61. Chapter Sixtyone

"Headmaster! How can you let that child into this school? She may ruin us all!"

Horace was pacing around the room, back and forth, back and forth.

"You-Know-Who's daughter Albus! She looks just like him! And just as intelligent. Who knows what could happen? She could kill us all!"

I bemusedly watched Horace get it all out of his system. He was frightened, I could tell. I had to set him straight though.

"Miss Malfoy is not a threat to you, me, or this school. She is merely a bright young student who happens to have a very unfortunate background. Much like Tom. But, instead of having it shape and mold her into something undesirable, like Tom did, she has shouldered it with much grace and has exemplified every single one of her good qualities throughout this trial. It has not been easy for her Horace."

"It should be infinitely easy for her! Obviously all she has to say is, 'My daddy is going to kill you' and nobody will bother her!"

Horace didn't seem to know that he was blathering, but I let him go on. He yelled and shouted until I finally cut him off.

"Horace. If you do not trust me, maybe you could trust Mr. Potter, who, despite her heritage, has remained her friend throughout. She is inexplicably on our side Horace. She calls him Voldemort, and does not refer to him as her father."

Horace cringed at the name, but seemed to relax slightly when I told him that Harry still trusted her.

"He does?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh yes," I said breezily. "And Miss Granger, who has a knack for spotting trouble, had remained her friend as well. And Hagrid who dislikes anything to do with dark wizards or evil is fond of the girl. She has a reputation in this school that cannot be bought with blackmail. I'm not saying that there aren't students in the school who are leery of her, but on the whole, she is generally liked."

Horace seemed to think about this for a moment, but then his face turned hard and he said, "I wish you would take my advice to heart Albus. This girl may not be something to be trifled with."

"We all have our own opinions Horace," I said airily. At this, Horace became silently enraged and stormed out of my office, robes billowing behind him, slamming the door on his way out.

Horace did not seem keen on Miss Malfoy, and neither did she on him. I only prayed that there would be no altercations between the two of them.

_Author's Note: Sorry guys, I've had plays that I've been performing in for the past couple of days and haven't gotten home until midnight, which is why I didn't update for the past couple of days. Hope you guys enjoyed! Review and see you for the next chapter! :)_


	62. Chapter Sixtytwo

I was sitting in my office, grading papers, when Katherine slipped in with the twins on either hip. She looked harried, and I conjured a crib for the girls. She dumped them into the crib and flopped down into a chair in front of my desk.

"Boy, even though this isn't a year where we have insanely important exams, all the teachers love to give you tons of homework," she said grumpily. "I haven't had any free time to myself since term started."

I was going to point out that this was only the fourth week of term, but I stopped myself. Instead, I said, "Would it help if I didn't assign you any homework?"

I meant this to be teasing, but she threw me a sharp glare and said, "I'm not going to sleep my way around to good grades."

"Who said anything about sleeping around? Unless you're seeing Filius behind my back," I said casually, trying to disarm her.

She chuckled slightly at this and said, "Not at all Severus. But I'm not going to let myself be handed my grades. I'm going to work for them like everyone else."

"You know you don't have to take so many N.E.W.T classes," I said a little reprovingly.

"Yes, I know, but since I don't know what I want to go on to do when I leave Hogwarts, I'm taking all of the classes I think I'll need so I'll be covered when I do figure it out," she said with a small sigh. And I could tell it was getting to her.

There were bags under her eyes and she seemed ready to pass out. Normally with any other student, only four weeks into term wouldn't be so bad, but Katherine always insisted on setting aside at least one hour a day for the twins, so she wouldn't feel like she was letting Dobby raise them alone, leaving her doing homework well into the night to make up for the lost time. Occasionally she came to see me, but this wasn't too often.

I tried to talk her out of her insane schedule, but there was no convincing her. She was determined to do everything that she had promised to do. I tried one last time.

"Katherine, please, just drop one class. One."

She bored into my eyes and I was afraid that she had zoned out and she hadn't heard me at all. Finally, she said, "Fine. One class."

I was relieved. "Good. What will you drop."

She considered for a moment and then said, "Astronomy."

I wanted to shake my head in frustration. It certainly wasn't what I was hoping for. Astronomy was definitely not one of her more advanced classes, and didn't require half as much work as her Transfiguration class. This would only make the smallest dent in her work schedule.

But instead of yelling, I said, "Good."

I went back to grading papers and she was silent for a while. After about seven minutes of this, she said, "You're angry with me, aren't you?"

I looked up and she had a look on her face that was a cross between hurt and confusion.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "I'm not mad Katherine, I'm just frustrated. I was hoping you would drop one of your harder classes, not one of the easier ones. But if it makes you happy, then I suppose I won't argue it."

She considered this for a minute and said in a light voice, "Well, I suppose sleep is nice. I could drop Muggle Studies."

I was relieved with this. "Thank you," I said shortly.

We were silent for a while longer, me grading papers and her just sitting there. Eventually she said, "I think I'm going to go talk to McGonagall about dropping those classes. Do you mind looking after the girls for that little while?"

"Not at all," I said not looking up from my work.

She slipped out of the room, and it didn't occur to me until later that night that Muggle Studies was her favorite subject, even if it had been a lot of work.

_Author's Note: Sorry crappy chapter you guys, I have horrible writer's block. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed despite the obvious lack of luster in this chapter. As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	63. Chapter Sixtythree

"So this man called the Half-Blood Prince is giving you all these fabulous potions instructions?"

I was turning the pages of Harry's textbook fascinatingly, wondering who the Half-Blood Prince could be. This explained all of Harry's progress in Potions. Not that he had been the abysmal student Severus had made him out to be, but he wasn't exactly a genius when it came to that certain subject.

"Yeah, and look at this," he said, pointing out what appeared to be a spell in the margins of the book. "I've been itching to try this out."

"_Levicorpus_," I muttered to myself. Hermione turned sharply towards Harry and me and said, "I think that book is vile."

Harry rolled his eyes and said quietly, "She's just mad because the Prince does better than she does."

I considered this for a moment and said, "Harry, while this book is fantastic and gives good potions instructions, I don't think you should be trying out any of the spells. They're nothing I've ever heard of before and they could do anything. You might accidentally hurt someone."

"Ha! See Harry! Katherine agrees with me!" Hermione exclaimed. Apparently they had fought about this before.

"Whatever. The Prince is a genius. I'm not going to give him up just because he does better than you Hermione."

"You don't have to give him up Harry," I said soothingly. "Just promise that you won't do any of those spells."

Still seething about Hermione trying to dictate his decisions, without even looking at me he said, "I'm not going to promise that."

He stormed away and I wanted to yell in frustration. He was so stubborn. Ron, who had been looking on the conversation bemusedly said, "The Prince is a genius. I can't see why he should try out some of the spells."

This was when Hermione exploded in his face. "Because they could hurt someone Ron! Using a spell you know nothing about is extremely dangerous, and you're just egging him on!"

Like he always did, Ron lashed out at her. "This is so like you Hermione. You're just trying to control everyone's life the way you think it should be run! You know, if Harry wants to try those spells, I'm not going to stop him like you."

He stormed out in the same fashion as Harry and Hermione looked like a cross between indignant and on the verge of crying. She slammed the book that she had been reading shut and ran out, most likely to find refuge in the library. I was left there sitting alone, absolutely befuddled. I gave a sigh and went to my room to study for a Potions test that was coming up soon.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters! :)_


	64. Chapter Sixtyfour

I glided into my sister's room while she was getting ready for the day. She looked up at me from her vanity table while putting some blush on and rubbed the brush over her cheeks vigorously.

"Yes Bella?" she asked.

"Oh nothing," I said casually. I put a hand on my belly and walked farther into the room, sitting down on her bed.

"'Can I come in?' 'Of course Bella' 'Thanks Cissy'," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Where's your husband?" I scoffed, ignoring her annoyance. Her worthless husband. He might have been able to provide for his family, but that was about it. He had failed in raising the Dark Lord's only daughter, let his son grow up too soft, and let his wife, my sister, lose sight of what was most important.

"He is at work Bella. You know he has a job," she said slightly coldly. "For now," I smirked. "It won't be long until he's forced to leave his job at the Ministry."

"_If _that day ever comes, it will be a while from now," Cissy said icily, and went back to putting on her face.

She was so overdramatic and touchy. I was merely making conversation. She must have seen the look on my face in the mirror because hers seemed to soften slightly.

"How's the baby?" she asked conversationally.

I groaned and flopped onto the bed. "It sucks. I hate having this child inside of my body. I may not be getting fat yet, but he's kicking and I have the worst cravings. I am _so _ready to be done with this baby. Trust me, if someone else could have carried this baby, I would have let them. I'm going to hate losing my figure."

"Where is Rudolphus?" she asked seriously.

I sat back up on the bed and gave her a sour look. "Rudolphus has left, and good riddance. I never cared for him at all. He was never satisfying in bed and while he was powerful, more so than your husband, he still had a weakness about him. I cannot believe that Mother and Father convinced me to marry him. Anyways, he's cleared out. Says he doesn't want a baby that's not his. It's not like I could lie to him. We haven't made love since we were thrown in Azkaban."

Cissy gasped and said, "That long?"

I laughed a mirthless laugh and said, "Honestly, did you think that I would ever return to Rudolphus's bed after having been with the Dark Lord?"

"I can't believe that you wouldn't show the tiniest bit of respect to your husband. While you never loved him, he was still your legal partner," she said in a voice that was a mixture of trying to reprove and indignation.

"Just because I don't suffer in silence in a loveless marriage like you do Narcissa, it does not make me wrong," I said smoothly. This ruffled her feathers more than anything else I had ever said before.

"I am _not _in a loveless marriage! I feel affection for Lucius," she said hotly.

"Affection, maybe, but not love. Love cannot be found in a marriage when your parents arrange it," I said matter-of-factly.

"So what if they arranged it? I do not hate Lucius and we get along. And he loves me," she said tremulously.

"But you do not love him," I countered. She slammed her cosmetics down on the vanity table and said, "If you are going to do nothing but spread hate and discontent, then you might as well leave Bellatrix."

I shrugged and slid off the bed, making my way to the door. I didn't look back on her face that was white with fury.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! Review and until next chapter! :)_


	65. Chapter Sixtyfive

"Occlumency? Like Harry did last year?" I said puzzled.

"Yes Katherine. It was foolish to not start training you until now. Even your brother has learned a few tricks from your beloved aunt."

He didn't need to punctuate his sentences, since the pounding rain on the windows was already doing that for him. It was a horridly dreary day outside, and I wasn't going to relish having it spent with Severus invading my mind over and over again. Not that he wasn't the best person to do it anyhow. But it was the principle of the thing.

"We need to start today. Dumbledore has given me permission to train you as much as I need to, which means that if I feel the need to train you into the wee hours of the morning every night, then I shall do so. Your teachers are aware of this and are fully ready to make exceptions for your work."

I shifted on my feet, extremely leery of the situation. I knew I wasn't going to like this. I could feel it already.

"Sit down," he ordered. I did so, and he said, "Close your eyes and empty your mind."

I closed my eyes and tried to do so, but all I could think about was Severus intruding in my mind repeatedly. He didn't give me much time and was soon counting down.

"Three… Two… One… Legillimens!"

It was like I was watching small portions of my life go by at once. Me yelling at Harry and collapsing on the ground, my first time on the Hogwarts Express, getting married to Severus, receiving the letter that told me that Aunt Bellatrix was having Voldemort's baby. Not soon enough, he pulled out of my mind and I could feel something cold on my cheek. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find myself on the floor. I scrambled to my feet while he looked at me suspiciously.

"Were you even trying?" he said accusingly.

"Well, I did, but the thought of my mind being picked over for several hours is not a happy thought!" I said defensively.

"Control your emotions!" he snapped. I could tell this was hard on him, so I shut my mouth and got ready for another go. Soon he was in my mind and my memories were on a reel.

My first day at church, my tenth birthday, helping Hermione find Harry a solution for the First Task in the Triwizard Tournament.

He popped out of my mind and said, "That is not control!"

"Stop yelling at me! I'm trying!"

He softened a little and said, "Alright. Let's try again. Close your eyes, and empty your mind."

I did as he said, but yet again found the second half of his order difficult.

"Legillimens!" he cried.

Holding the twins for the first time, breaking my ribs, arguing with Harry about sleeping with him.

For some reason, Severus focused in on this memory and wouldn't let go of it. I tried to pull from him, but his mind had mine in an iron grip that wasn't about to let go. I watched in horror as my mind helplessly replayed this horrible fight.

"_Come on Katherine!"_

"_I said no Harry!"_

"_Why won't you?"_

"_Because I…"_

"_Ha! You have no good reason, you just want to keep me strung along!"_

_He turned away from me and I looked like a lost puppy. I was fighting some inner battle, one that my morals were losing._

"_Alright Harry, but… Not now."_

_He turned back to me excitedly and said, "When?"_

"_Soon," I promised him. All I knew was that I didn't want to lose him. He was all that mattered right then…_

As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and I was standing in reality once more, facing my furious husband. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill Potter right now."

"We were younger and stupid! We thought we knew what we wanted, but obviously didn't!"

"He bullied you into saying yes to him!" he practically screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

"Severus, it all worked out for the best in the end!" I reminded him.

"But what if this never happened?" He gestured between the two of us and pointed towards my abdomen, as if to signify the absent twins. "You would have given your heart and soul to him and he would have eventually tossed you to the side!"

"You don't know that!" I screamed into his face. I didn't know why I was yelling at Severus. I knew he was right, but I think that the thought of someone "tossing me to the side" tempered my ire more than anything else.

"Oh yes I do! I know his kind, I grew up with his father mind you!"

I screamed in frustration. "You cannot judge a boy on his father just because he took the love of your life! That's rubbish!"

"I never said it was because he married Lily!" Severus spat at me.

This made me angrier than ever. "But every time you bring up the fact that you hate James, or that you hate Harry, the undertone is always Lily! And I'm not going to put up with a man who pines over a dead woman!"

I was practically crying by this point, but it didn't stop Severus from saying what he said next.

"Believe me, do you think that it has been easy to watch you toggle back and forth between disgust and attraction for Potter when you are supposed to be married to me? To watch you wish that you were still in that horribly abusive relationship you had with him? I haven't had the time of my life at all!"

"You think I'm attracted to Harry?" I shouted incredulously through the tears that were now coursing down my face. "You're thicker than I thought! And it wasn't abusive! If anything, this marriage has been much more abusive than Harry!"

It was dead silent for a moment and then Severus exploded.

"HOW WAS THAT NOT ABUSE? HE BULLIED YOU! AND I HAVE BEEN GOOD TO YOU!"

"He did not bully me into making the decision that I would sleep with him someday, that was my own decision! It was not influenced by Harry in any way, shape, or form! And I hope that you're not forgetting the time you slapped me across the face! I haven't forgot!"

"YOU DESERVED IT FOR CALLING ME AN IDIOT!" he bellowed, breathing heavily through his hooked nose.

"No one deserves that! And I think you, of all people, should know that after the way your father treated your mum!"

There was a ringing silence after my proclamation and the electricity in the air sparked dangerously. I knew I had crossed a line. I was afraid for how this was going to turn out.

"How did you know about that? And do not lie to me! It would be futile," he said dangerously.

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat my but wouldn't go down. I had trouble speaking past it, but finally said, "Harry."

His face turned purple with rage and he said in a menacingly low voice, "So, has Potter been having good laughs with everyone in Gryffindor Tower about my abysmal home life as a child? How about my loneliness and solitude as a teenager here at Hogwarts?"

By this time he had closed in on me and he had this deranged gleam in his eyes, like he wasn't really sure who it was standing in front of him, but no matter what they had to be punished for Harry Potter's transgressions.

"No!" I squeaked tremulously. "He just told us."

"Who's us?" he whispered.

"Me and Ron and Hermione," I breathed.

He straightened up and said, "Go."

Alarmed at how fast he had changed his demeanor, I gingerly laid a hand on his arm and said, "Severus?"

He flung my hand off his arm and bellowed, "Leave! Now!"

I scurried back to my room, quaking with fear. I kept Dobby with me the entire night because I was so frightened.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	66. Chapter Sixtysix

I was still seething after my fight with Katherine. I stormed through the hallways, taking points from people because I felt like it.

"Boot and Weasley! Ten points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw for that disgusting display of affection!"

Weasley piped up, "But Professor, he only kissed me on the chee-"

"Silence!" I howled. "If you do not shut your mouth Weasley, there'll be a detention for you! And another five points for your back talk!"

She immediately closed her trap and I moved on to my next victims down the hallway.

"Sloper, Creevey, is that a Fanged Frisbee in your hands?"

They shifted nervously on their feet without saying anything. I snatched the Fanged Frisbee out of their hands and said, "Detention for the two of you for using a banned product in the school."

I tucked the article under my arm and strode past them. Suddenly, I turned back and said, "Creevey, you have an insane obsession with Potter. Do you know where he is now?"

"In the common room sir," he said nervously.

"Send him to my office!" I commanded. "Immediately!"

"Yes sir," he said quite demurely and sulked away. I strode through the building back to my office in the dungeons to wait for Potter. On the way there, I ran into a crying Miss Parkinson.

She didn't look well, and her face was splotched with tears, so I could tell she had been crying for a while now.

"What is it Miss Parkinson?" I snapped. She jumped at what she appeared to think as an intrusion of her privacy and sniffed haughtily, "To be respectful, it's none of your business sir."

"The hell it is," I snarled. "Ten points for your attitude!"

As an afterthought, I said, "If your situation is so dire and so tragic, go talk to Miss Malfoy. You two seem to have developed a sort of affinity for one another."

She sniffed in her haughty manner once again and flounced off in the direction of Katherine's room.

_She's probably crying right now. The last thing she needs is another crying teenage girl._

My mind relished that hideous thought for a minute. Potter interrupted my thoughts and, without looking, bounded right into me.

"Professor!" he yelped. "Sorry."

"Potter," I sneered. "Just the man I wanted to see. Follow me."

I snapped my fingers and he obliged, following me through the twists and turns of the dungeons. When we reached my office, I turned around and said, "Potter, do you know why you are here?"

"No," he said truthfully. I could tell he was extremely puzzled, and this thought filled me with glee. He wouldn't know what was about to hit him. I opened the door and walked through it, not checking to see if he was doing the same. I sat down in my chair at the desk and faced him, not giving him the luxury of sitting down.

"Mr. Potter, I have just had an interesting conversation with Miss Malfoy," I started malevolently.

"She seems to be under the impression that after our little, ah, tiff last year regarding your Occlumency lessons, you went straight to Gryffindor Tower and repeated everything you saw to anyone who would hear you."

I knew this was a stretching of the truth, but if this would finally break any residual feelings they had for one another, I was willing to do it. Katherine was mine.

"That's a lie," he began hotly.

"Oh is it?" I sneered. "She unwittingly shared with me some very personal details about my life that no one else would know but you. She says she heard it from you, so, here we are."

"I didn't go shouting it from the rooftops! I only told a few people!"

"I'm sure a few people to you, Mr. Potter, means the whole of Gryffindor Tower," I smirked.

"No it wasn't! Just my friends! Katherine and Ron and Hermione!"

A suspicious look came over his face and he asked, "Why would she be discussing such things with you?"

I panicked. I hadn't thought of him cottoning on to that. I swallowed a nervous lump in my throat and said, "I was giving her Occlumency lessons Potter."

"What does that have to do with anything about you? And why does she need them?"

It was now his turn to sneer. He thought he had me, but I wasn't going to let him win this easily.

"She needs them because she comes in contact with the Dark Lord too many times for comfort."

"Why did you wait until now?" he challenged.

"Stop asking so many questions Potter!" I cried. I was beginning to lose my temper.

"What did you see?" he roared. "When you invaded her mind and her privacy, what did you see you git?"

His hand was making its way to his wand.

"Sit down Potter, before you jinx me and get yourself expelled!" I snarled. "Or do, I don't care. You getting expelled and not being here would be like Christmas coming early."

He twitched like he wanted so desperately to hurt me, but seemed to think better of it and sat down, all the while keeping his hand no less than six inches from his wand.

"I did not _invade _her privacy Potter," I began defensively.

"Bull shit! It's exactly what you did to me when I had Occlumency lessons, why should she be any different?"

And then he smacked his head in an overdramatic way and said, "Oh wait, she's your bosses daughter. He's probably telling you that if you hurt a hair on her head he'll kill you. Well I've got something to say about that."

He got up from the chair and leaned in close to me with his hands on the desk and a maniac gleam in his eyes. "I'm letting you know that if you _do _hurt a hair on her head, Voldemort won't be the only one you have to answer to."

I snorted in derision. "You don't care about her Potter. The way you've acted towards her is vile."

"What would you care?" he screamed in my face. "And how I've acted is not out of line!"

"You've acted horrendously Potter, don't try and deny it. Having watched this laughable charade that you two call a relationship, it gives me no hope for your future romantic endeavors. People excuse your behavior because she has children and is Voldemort's daughter, but you've known all along that all of that was out of her control. And you shunned her anyways and made her depressed over the things you said."

He drew a sharp intake of breath, whipped out his wand, and shouted, "Say that to me again!"

"Careful Potter. I may decide to tell the Headmaster that you threatened me with my life and cursed at me," I said slowly and dangerously.

"And I'll tell him that you've insulted me one too many times," he shot back at me.

"But who here has more power over the other?" I asked pointedly.

"I don't have to take this," he shouted and made for the door.

"Leave and you have detention for the rest of the year," I said silkily.

He paused with his hand on the doorknob, gripping it tightly, and I knew he wished he could leave. Finally, he sat back down and put away his wand, and I smiled triumphantly.

"So," he started with an evil glint in his eyes. "You sure seem to have Katherine's best interests at heart."

My smile faded and I cleared my throat. "I have never given any indication that I-"

"Come off it!" he shouted. "You've never shown such interest in a student ever before! Are you kissing ass for Voldemort?"

"Watch yourself Potter!" I barked.

He didn't listen to me and went on though. "This is so much evidence that you are so obviously on Voldemort's side. Evidence, that I will happily share with Dumbledore!"

"Go ahead Potter, he will not believe you," I said coldly. "Leave me now. I have no time to deal with your blathering."

He left in a huff and I sighed out all of my relief. Thank Merlin he didn't know the real reason for my caring about Katherine.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	67. Chapter Sixtyseven

"So she's having Occlumency lessons from him?" I said astounded.

"Yeah, and she didn't tell us. Which seems highly suspicious to me," Harry declared importantly.

"Come off it Harry. She probably didn't find out until just last night, like you did when you took lessons," Hermione said reasonably.

This was the first time Hermione had sat down with me and Harry since I got involved with Lavender. She was absolutely mental when this happened, but Merlin knew why.

Katherine came into the Great Hall for breakfast, looking extremely tired. I wanted to go lay a brotherly hand on her shoulders and ask her what was wrong. But nowadays, Katherine never seemed to want to tell us what was going on. It was rather secretive, like Harry said. But I don't think that even Katherine would keep such a thing like Occlumency lessons with Snape from us.

She sat down and rubbed her eyes vigorously, trying to wipe the sleep from them. Harry narrowed his eyes at her and said, "So, I hope you rested well."

She glared at him and said, "Honestly, do you not see the bags under my eyes?"

"Katherine, we know you're taking Occlumency lessons from Professor Snape," Hermione started. "And Harry is concerned about some things that may have happened."

Her eyes widened to the size of galleons, almost like Neville's when Snape threatened to use his botched Shrinking Solution on his toad. I felt sorry for her; I knew she didn't want to have this conversation. And Hermione knew it as well, but we all knew it was going to happen anyways with her and Harry's explosive tempers. Hermione just wanted to start things in a manner that wouldn't be so destructive.

"Why did you throw me under the bus, telling him that I told you about his memories?" Harry accused immediately.

"I had no choice!" Katherine spat. "How did you even know that anyways?"

"He called me into his office yesterday to talk about it," Harry whispered vehemently. "He said that you told him that I told everyone in Gryffindor about his memories!"

"I never said anything of the sort!" Katherine huffed indignantly.

"Whatever. What did he see?" Harry probed.

Katherine froze from what was either embarrassment, or terror. When she thawed out, she started squirming, thinking her way out of it. Then she said, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"If he said anything to you that was out of line, I told him that he would have to answer to me," Harry said ferociously with the smallest of glances to the Head Table. Hermione moaned in shock and I shook my head. How thick could Harry get, threatening a teacher?

I didn't understand Harry. Half the time he was vociferously defending Katherine, the other half he was denouncing her and cutting her down. I could only attribute this to him wanting something he couldn't have and hurting the person who wouldn't let him have it.

"Well, he said nothing out of line, nor did he see anything out of line," she said huffily with a slight, nervous shifting of her eyes that let us all know she was lying about one part of her statement.

"What did he see Katherine?" Harry asked quietly. Katherine took a deep breath to steady herself for the oncoming storm and said, "I'd rather not discuss it."

"Katherine, we can't protect you if you won't tell us what's going on!"

"I don't need protection!" she was hissing. "I need you to stay out of my business!"

"What did he see?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Well, Harry James Potter, he saw you begging for sex!"

She said this last part rather loudly, and everyone at the Gryffindor table turned to look. Her steely eyes were locked on his dumbfounded ones, as if she was challenging him to say something stupid. She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest and just kept staring. Soon everyone was immersed in this nonverbal showdown. People at other tables, noticing that Gryffindor had gone oddly quiet, stopped talking as well. Everyone was looking at the two of them.

As if she wanted to desperately denounce him in front of the entire school, she said rather loudly, "So, what can you say for yourself?"

Harry stole a glance at Snape at the Head Table who looked overly impassive at the whole situation. It would have been an extremely hilarious situation if it wasn't so serious.

McGonagall came down from the staff table and said, "Do you have something you wish to say Miss Malfoy?"

At McGonagall's arrival, everyone, a little too enthusiastically, went back to eating their food, avoiding the scene that was unfolding before me and my friends.

Katherine stared at her for a minute, and then said, "No Professor."

"Well then, off to class for you," McGonagall said brusquely.

With as much grace as she could muster, Katherine gathered her school bag and left the Great Hall.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	68. Chapter Sixtyeight

Even though we had a huge fight the night before, I was forced to go back to Severus's office to give Occlumency another go.

I begged Professor Dumbledore to tell Severus I didn't need them, but he was adamant.

"There is no other way Miss Malfoy," he said firmly. "You come in contact way too many times with Lord Voldemort to be safe. Your mind and secrets need to be protected."

So I grudgingly called for Dobby and told him I didn't know how long I was going to be. I left him with the girls and started down the stairs to the dungeons. I saw a few couples snogging in the hallways and scoffed. They couldn't find some better place to make out?

I reached the dungeons and went into Severus's office without knocking. I didn't care. His head snapped up from his work and he scowled. Obviously he didn't want to do this just as much as me.

"Did your mother never teach you any manners Katherine?" he sneered coldly. His eyes bored into mine and I stared back defiantly. We stood there for a minute until I finally answered, "Of course she did."

He smirked and went back to grading papers. He did this for a full five minutes, not even acknowledging me or the reason why I was in his office. I don't doubt that if I had stripped naked he would have kept working. I rolled my eyes and walked around his desk. I stood there for thirty seconds, thinking of what I should try and do when I decided on something.

I put both hands on the back of his chair and pulled it with all my might. What I thought would be an impressive display of strength and something that would help him notice me, actually turned out to be an extremely embarrassing bid for attention. His chair moved nowhere and, even though I couldn't see his face, I could practically see him smirk.

I chose to resort to tapping my foot on the ground and sighing discontentedly every few seconds. After a couple minutes of this, he looked up at me annoyedly and said, "Can I help you?"

I narrowed my eyes and said, "You know bloody well why I am here. Let's get it over with."

He sighed dramatically and got up from his chair, taking his wand with him. He pulled the chair to the center of the room and I sat in it, leery of doing this a second time after last night was so explosive.

"Legillimens!" he cried before I had time to empty my mind.

Getting past Fluffy in first year. Being imprisoned by Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets while Harry fought for his life. Ron and Hermione fighting over Scabbers and Crookshanks. Hermione crying her eyes out over Ron and Lavender.

He pulled out of my mind and the room came back to me. I put my head in my hands and breathed hard, hoping that we wouldn't do that for another lifetime.

"Control yourself!" he snapped.

"Get off my back!" I retorted, face still in my hands.

I tried emptying my mind, but Severus invaded it again.

The fight at the Ministry. Watching the task at the lake.

I tried with all my might to pull away from him. In my mind I was screaming "no!" over and over, attempting to get away from his probing mind. At last, I threw him aside and sat there in the chair, panting with the exertion. He looked like he had never seen me before.

"What?" I snarled.

"You did it," he said simply.

I was flabbergasted. "Truly?"

"Yes."

I considered this for a moment and said, "But shouldn't I be able to keep you from being in there at all?"

He thought about this and said, "Yes, but for now, it is a start. You may go."

I nodded curtly and attempted to leave the room, but was stopped by his voice.

"I saw your passionate lovers' quarrel with Potter at breakfast this morning. You two will make up soon, right? Because I don't think that public could stand to see Harry and Katherine apart for too long," he said nastily.

I could feel anger bubbling inside me, and resentment as well. I was ready to start yelling at him, but I thought better of this and took a different approach. I grabbed hold of another emotion that I was feeling, and spoke using it, instead of anger like I so often did when talking to Severus.

"Severus, don't you know that you're the only one for me? I could never be with Harry again. You're the only one I have eyes for. You're my husband, the father of my children, and my love." I took a deep breath and said, "And it hurts when you insinuate such things. Things like my being emotionally unfaithful to you. Can't you see Severus?"

By this time his head had come up from his paperwork and he was looking at me differently. I really couldn't tell what emotion he had on his face, and I don't remember the details of our conversation afterwards, but I do remember that we made up. And it was the kind of makeup that Severus had once told me was only for the lucky couples.

_Author's Note: I hope you guys liked Katherine's heartfelt speech. Anyways, as always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	69. Chapter Sixtynine

After my night with Katherine and her triumphant attempt to throw me off while inside her mind, I was in an exceptionally good mood the next day. I had her in one of my classes with the other N.E.W.T students and was happy to see her again. In fact, I was in such a good mood that I decided to change my lesson plans.

"Patronuses?" Miss Granger said shocked. "But Professor, we're not supposed to start that until next term!"

"Miss Granger, I am the teacher, I decide what we will or will not start now or next term," I said sternly. I decided not to take points; I was feeling too good. But not good enough to give them to the Gryfindors.

Miss Granger shut her know-it-all trap and I said, "Everyone come to the front of the room."

All of the students obliged and, with the flick of my wand, all of the desks were shoved to the sides of the room. Potter and his friends were rolling up their sleeves smugly. I was convinced that they had already done some of this in that defense group of theirs last year. Katherine was the only one who didn't look keen on showing off.

_She probably didn't do it last year._

"Alright," I said. "Everyone put your wands away for a moment and close your eyes." Everyone did so and I cleared my throat and began. "Think of the happiest memory that you can find. Think about it. Grab onto it tight, and don't let go." I sneaked a glance over at Katherine who was smiling contentedly. I wondered what she was thinking about.

I shook my head of these thoughts and said, "Now say these words after me. _Expecto Patronum._"

Everyone muttered these words and the room sounded like a swarm of bees had infested it. "Now," I said. "Who would like to give it a try first?"

Draco raised his hand along with many of the students I knew had been in that atrocious defense club last year. "Draco," I said, not wanting to give Potter another chance to show off.

Draco came into the middle of the classroom and muttered, "_Expecto Patronum._"

Without his heart really being in it, only the tiniest silver wisp was expelled from his wand. He unashamedly retreated into the shadows of the crowd of students and didn't say another word the entire lesson. I knew what was going on. He was concentrating on killing Albus and so far he had had no luck. He was worried.

"Longbottom," I called. Longbottom slowly walked into the middle of the classroom and screwed up his face in determination. "_Expecto Patronum!_" he roared, and a fully corporal Patronus bounded around the room. On closer inspection, it was a golden retriever.

Looking extremely pleased with himself, he went back into the crowd that was cheering him on relentlessly, saying things like "You did it!" and "Awesome!".

Apparently it was his first time to do so. Nevertheless, I did not allow the celebration to go on for much longer and shouted, "Quiet!"

I scanned the room and I caught Katherine hanging back in the shadows, as if she was unwilling to participate. She was looking at me through the dark, curly curtain of her hair and was almost pleading with her eyes to let her off the hook. But no wife of mine was going to be ignorant of how to produce a Patronus.

"Malfoy!" I said sharply. Draco began to protest, "I already did it Professor!"

"Not you!" I snapped. I pointed a finger at Katherine and she sighed resignedly. She came up to the middle of the room and stood there for a minute. Then she took a deep breath and said, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

What I thought would not be a very good Patronus due to her refusal to do it, was actually quite a good one. It was strong, but not a corporal one yet. Even she seemed surprised at her exceptional ability to perform the charm.

She walked back into her circle of friends and stayed there until class ended. On the way out, I could hear Potter asking her, "When did you practice the Patronus Charm?"

"I never did," she said bewilderedly. "That was my first time."

"Must have been a damn powerful memory," said Weasley.

"Language Weasley!" I barked. "Malfoy! I want to see you before you go to lunch."

She excused herself from her friends and skipped over to my desk.

"Yes?" she inquired innocently.

"First time my foot. Where did you learn to do that?"

"But it really was my first time. Honest."

She looked at me with her beautiful eyes and I knew she wasn't lying. It would have been written so plainly on her face.

"Alright, go. But from now on when we have Occlumency lessons together, I want to practice the Patronus Charm as well."

She nodded her head and gave me a big grin, showing many of her very pretty teeth. Then she walked towards the door and I suddenly thought of something.

"Hold on!"

She froze with her hand on the knob, and turned around expectantly. She looked at me and said, "Yes?"

"What memory did you use?"

She grinned evilly and mischievously and said, "I reckon that's no one's business but mine."

Then she flounced out of the room leaving me dumbfounded and extremely hungry for lunch.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys liked! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters! :)_


	70. Chapter Seventy

"Did you see how good Snape was today? He wasn't nearly as sarcastic as usual!" Harry was saying in a shocked manner on our way to lunch. Hermione, Ron and I all hummed our approval.

"And he didn't take any points either. What do you think has him in such a good mood?"

I shrugged like Hermione but Ron said, "Maybe Voldemort's made some progress and Snape just got word of it."

"Oh come off it!" Hermione and I said together, and the boys jumped slightly in surprise.

"Dumbledore trusts him, why can't you two?" Hermione hissed as we sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Because he's a bad guy!" Harry said. "Why can't you see that Hermione?"

"Let's drop it you guys," I said tiredly. After Harry's fight with Severus, Harry had done nothing but complain and huff about him, completely convinced that Severus was for Voldemort.

"I bet I know why Snape is so happy," Ron sniggered. "I bet you so much he got some last night."

I snorted into my pumpkin juice and Hermione looked offended. Harry chewed his food thoughtfully and said, "You know, I've always thought that all Snape needed was to get laid. He's so uptight about everything."

It took everything I had to not start laughing. If only they knew! But of course they couldn't know.

"I think that what you're saying is absolute rubbish, all of it," Hermione sniffed. "How crude."

"Hermione, just because you don't like to hear about sex, doesn't mean other people don't talk about it," Ron said in a voice that was tinged with "duh Hermione".

"But to talk about it when discussing a teacher is disgusting!" she declared vehemently.

I immediately sobered up and started nervously messing with the wedding ring I was wearing. It was on my right hand, something that Severus and I had been able to agree on, but still…

"Whatever Hermione. It wouldn't even be someone you know anyways. Probably someone down in the Three Broomsticks," Harry said nonchalantly.

I couldn't hold myself back and said ferociously, "As if!"

I'm sure that if someone had been holding a mirror up to my face I would have seen the color drain from it, but Harry took no notice as he was tucking into his food. I composed myself and went back to eating my lunch. I was quiet for the rest of the time and when the bell rang to get a move on to classes, I jumped up and ran for Arithmancy.

But Harry had noticed.

_Author's Note: Oooooooo… Let's see what happens! :) As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	71. Chapter Seventyone

_Katherine was so plainly sticking up for Snape today. I wonder what's going on._

I found my perfect chance to trace her later that night.

Katherine stood up and stretched like a cat, stiff from all the homework she had been doing. She had skipped dinner entirely to catch up.

"Where are you going?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I have Occlumency lessons. I'll see you guys later if I get out early enough," Katherine said in what seemed to me to be a rather tense voice.

I had the good fortune of Hermione asking her," "So how are Occlumency lessons going?"

While Katherine babbled on about her lessons, I ran upstairs and threw my trunk open, searching for my Invisibility Cloak. There was something going on between her and Snape and I was going to find out what it was, no matter what I had to do.

I pulled the cloak over me and ran back downstairs just in time to see her leave. I scrambled out the portrait hole after her and followed her quietly down the hallway. She carried nothing with her but a wand and was humming happily, unaware that I was following her.

We reached the dungeons and Katherine made her way to Snape's office. She knocked his door and I could hear the "come in" from the other side. She opened the door and entered, and I slipped in behind her to watch the lesson.

"Hello Katherine," he said rather warmly.

_Katherine? When the hell did they ever become friend enough to be on a first name basis?_

"Hello Severus," she said with just as much warmth in her voice.

"How are the twins doing?" he inquired. "I haven't been to see them in a couple of days; I've been so busy."

"Don't worry about it," she said with her waving hand to accompany what she was saying. "They're fine."

_Why would Snape be visiting her kids? He has nothing to do with Posy and Melanie._

"Alright, let's get started," Snape said while rolling up his sleeves.

Katherine stood there as calm as the sea before a storm while Snape pointed his wand at her and yelled, "Legillimens!"

Katherine twitched a little where she stood, but she stayed upright. After a few seconds her eyes flew open and she started panting heavily, as if she had just run a marathon. She was grinning at Snape and said, "Did I do it again?"

He smiled back at her and said, "Yes, and you're getting much faster at it. I daresay that after a few more lessons I won't be able to get into your mind at all."

At this statement, Katherine looked immensely pleased with herself, almost as if she was… _Glowing_ with Snape's approval.

"You're catching on much quicker than I thought you would. Certainly quicker than Potter."

When he said my name he scowled, and I wanted to hex him, even if I had to reveal myself to do it. But Katherine's next words stopped me.

"Severus, you know he's a powerful wizard. I think you're being hard on him. Just because you don't like-"

"Damn right I don't like him," Snape growled. "Every time I see his face…"

He trailed off, as if there was nothing else to say. Katherine just looked at him and said quietly, "I know."

Snape shook himself and said, "Let's try it one more time and then we can move on to the Patronus Charm."

Katherine nodded and steadied herself for a second time. But instead of blasting her off her feet with the spell, Snape said, "Are you sure you don't want to sit down? I mean, you did do remarkably well the last time, but I wouldn't push it."

She nodded again in her silent way and pulled a chair over from Snape's desk. She seated herself and I held my breath, wondering what would happen this time. Would he hurt her?

"Legillimens!"

Ten seconds went by. Twenty. Thirty. Katherine was writhing in her chair, and it seemed to go on for forever. It was way past the time she had thrown him off last time and I was getting worried. After a full minute, her eyes flew open again in the same manner as they did before and she glared at Snape.

"I had it!" she said reproachfully. "If you'd have just given me a few more-"

"Katherine, you were no closer to throwing me off than the Chudley Cannons are for winning the World Cup," Snape retorted. Katherine crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. I saw a flash of light, and saw that it had come from a dainty ring on her right hand. It was a simple but beautiful ring, with a single diamond. One would almost say that it looked like an engagement ring, but Katherine had already told us that it was an old family heirloom. Besides, who would she be engaged to?

"Do you want to do it again?" Snape suggested in a voice much gentler than the one he had used before.

Katherine sighed and said, "No, let's just move on."

They cleared the chair out of the way and Katherine stood in the middle of the room. Snape circled her like a vulture and said, "Do you remember how to do it?"

She gripped her wand tightly and nodded again in that strange, mutinous way of hers. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She searched for a memory for a long time and finally she said, "I've got it."

"Good. Let it fill you up. Concentrate… Now say the incantation."

She opened her eyes and yelled into the nothingness, "Expecto Patronum!"

A powerful beam of silvery light shot from her wand and she screwed her eyes up in concentration, obviously desperate to keep the memory firm inside her head. She held it for a full two minutes until she let it go, pleased with the time that she had kept it up. I wanted to applaud her, but for obvious reasons I did not.

"That was ten times better than the one you produced in class," said Snape suspiciously.

"Well, I may have practiced before I got here to surprise you. And I was so close to a fully formed one! But I was cut short by people coming into the common room," she said brightly.

"Well it's very good," Snape said shortly. I thought this was rude, but she glowed. Obviously there was a hidden meaning to the things he said.

"Let's try one more time, then you can go back to homework. I know you have a lot."

_Snape worrying about students' homework? Is he dying?_

Katherine beamed and said, "Alright."

This time she wasted no time on her memory and roared into the empty classroom, "Expecto Patronum!"

This time a fully formed animal bounded out of the tip of her wand and she laughed delightedly. Even Snape had a smile on his face, like he was proud of Katherine. I looked at the creature and it was a dragon. I almost leapt back in surprise but held myself steady.

"It's a dragon!" Katherine gasped. And with her surprise, the connection broke.

"Did you see that? It was a dragon!" Katherine nearly shouted at Snape.

Snape nodded and said, "Yes, it's a very apt symbol of who you are. Feisty and, if a mother, extremely protective of their young. It fits you very well."

Without saying anything, Katherine ran up to Snape, threw herself into his arms, and kissed him.

I was appalled. Did he have her bewitched? And, acting under that assumption, I pulled my wand out, ready to hex him into oblivion when they broke apart and Katherine, with a touch of mournfulness in her voice, said, "I wish you would come see your daughters."

My world was crashing down around my ears. Snape fathered Katherine's children. They were a couple and… Merlin, they weren't just a couple, they were married! That ring! It was! Merlin!

My blood was boiling in my veins, there was a roaring in my ears that almost prevented me from hearing the next part of what they said.

"Alright, I'll come see the three of you in fifteen minutes."

"Don't be too long!" she said rather playfully. She walked to the door, opened it, and swept from the room.

I nearly missed my chance to exit, being so dumbfounded at the new information. I whipped through the door at the last second, it almost closing on my cloak. I ripped the cloak off and stalked all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

Snape was going to pay for everything he had done.

_Author's Note: Well, Harry knows now! And this time, his assumption is right! For once! Ever! Alright, I think I did that one too many times. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed. Don't forget to review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple chapters. Until next time! :)_


	72. Chapter Seventytwo

I woke up the next day feeling particularly wonderful. It seemed that things were turning around for me. I had all of my friends, Severus and I weren't fighting anymore, and my daughters were no longer a target. For the time being.

I went on down to breakfast in high spirits. I reached Ron and Hermione and they said cheerfully, "Morning!"

"Morning," I replied with a smile. I looked around and didn't see Harry. "Do you guys know where Harry is?" I asked.

A dark look came over their faces and they glanced at each other. Hermione started first.

"Last night, Harry went out for about an hour… We're not sure what he did during that time."

Ron finished, "But when he came back, he was extremely pissed off and said that someone was going to pay."

"We tried asking him about it," Hermione interjected helplessly.

"But he wouldn't say a word. He was adamant about not telling us what happened," Ron said rather solemnly. I felt uneasy at all this.

No sooner had Ron and Hermione finished telling me what happened, Harry walked into the Great Hall. As if he already knew where I was, his eyes darted to me. He strode over to where I was and said, "Katherine, mind talking to me for a bit?"

There was a steely note in his voice, but it quivered all the same. His eyes were like molten lava, a strong indication that he was about to blow his top off. His hands were fists, and he kept one of them suspiciously closer to his wand than he normally would have. Figuring that there was nothing else to do but follow him out of the Hall, I obliged. I quickly glanced at Severus at the staff table and he slightly inclined his head to show he knew exactly where I was going to be. Harry's behavior had made me tense, and Severus relaxed it a tiny bit with the littlest of nods.

Harry walked out of the Hall and up three flights of stairs, up onto the third floor. I was beginning to get worried by now; Harry hadn't said a word since we left the Hall.

We came to the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office and Harry said, "Acid Pops."

The gargoyle sprang to the side, revealing a staircase. Harry gripped my arm with such force I had never felt before. He tried forcing me forward, but I dug my heels into the ground. I wrenched my arm free of his restraining hand and sniffed, "I can walk all by myself, thank you."

Harry didn't say anything, just motioned towards the stairs. There was a quality about him that I had never seen until now. Almost as if he wanted to hurt me. I shook myself of that idea. That was too far-fetched.

But my traitorous mind leapt to the thought, _But is it?_

By the time I had reached my indecision, we were standing outside of Dumbledore's office. I stared at the door uneasily until Harry yelled at me, "Well? Are you going to knock or what?"

I turned on him and said, "This is your thing. If you're so determined, you knock on the damned door! Now, if this is all you wanted, to mess with me, I think I'll go back to breakfast and try to get something to eat before classes start."

But Harry blocked my way and he said, in a sort of grim determination, "You're not going anywhere. You're going to Dumbledore with me."

He pushed past me and knocked on the door. "Enter," said Dumbledore is his deep voice. Harry opened the door and pulled me in with him.

Dumbledore's office looked just as it did the first time I entered it, when he asked me how I was adjusting to the school. I took in all the gadgets and gizmos for what felt like the billionth time; his office was one you couldn't easily forget.

I saw the Sorting Hat sitting on a shelf and Fawkes was dozing on his perch. Fawkes got more and more beautiful every time I saw him and it almost made me want a phoenix; seeing as they were extremely expensive, I never got one.

"Yes?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Professor, I believe Katherine is bewitched," Harry began.

"By who?" Dumbledore asked, deeply concerned.

"Snape," Harry said viciously.

I interrupted at this point, too irritated to not stay quiet. "Excuse me, but I think I have something to say about this."

Harry turned on me angrily and said, "He's bewitched you. I saw the two of you last night!"

All the color drained from my face and Harry looked triumphant. I cleared a blockage that had suddenly formed in my throat and said, "You're ridiculous! You didn't see anything!"

"Oh I didn't, did I?" he asked in a snide voice. "_I wish you would come see your daughters!"_ he said in a sickeningly whiny voice that sounded like he was trying to mimic me. My heart sank. It was exactly what I had said last night.

"How did you know about that?" I sputtered. He grinned evilly. "I have a good friend who helped me out."

Then I remembered how Harry had dashed up the stairs to the boys' dormitory right before I left, and how Ron and Hermione said they hadn't seen him for an hour. He had used the Invisibility Cloak.

My blood boiled at this. "That was a private lesson Harry! You intolerable twit! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Please Miss Malfoy!" Dumbledore said calmly, but earnestly. "If you would please."

He gestured towards the chairs in front of his desk and Harry and I sat, eyeing each other warily.

"That prat! He stole you from me! And I know that he had to have bewitched you, because you'd never given him more than a thought before!" Harry fumed.

I was appalled. "First of all, there was no stealing. I am a woman, not an abject. Second of all, he is not a prat. Third of all, I am NOT bewitched in any way, shape or form," I hissed.

"Miss Malfoy, Mr. Potter!" Dumbledore interrupted. We fell silent.

"Now, these are very delicate circumstances. There are things going on here that not even Miss Malfoy knows about-"

"Why don't you just call her as she's legally known? Mrs. Snape," Harry threw at Dumbledore. My mouth dropped open in surprise, but I quickly shut it. Harry had cottoned on quick. He usually wasn't so observant of such things.

"Well Mr. Potter, it's good to be in practice of calling her Miss Malfoy so there will be no slip-ups in front of students or faculty," Dumbledore said reprovingly.

"What don't I know about?" I asked casually while sitting up in an alert position.

Dumbledore turned to me with his twinkling eyes and said in a mischievous way that was most unnerving to hear from a Headmaster, "Well, depending on how well you do on Occlumency lessons, we may tell you."

I huffed and sat back in my seat. They were never going to tell me.

"Now Mr. Potter, maybe you would like to hear just how all of this came about from Miss Malfoy, rather than me. That is, you must listen without interrupting," Dumbledore said to Harry.

Harry turned a stony, but expectant, face to me. I sighed and began my long story.

"When I told you about being… accosted at my house, that man was Severus. Then I found out I was pregnant with the twins. I told Severus and we agreed to keep the children and get along for their sake. We had our fight that first week of last year. God, was it only last year? Anyways, Severus comforted me and Voldemort made me marry Severus. I'm not going to say that marrying Severus was my choice, but I won't say that he would never have been. Just not when I was sixteen."

Harry was quiet through all of this and said, "He snaked you out from under me."

I sighed exasperatedly and said, "Harry, you pushed me away! What was I supposed to do, wait until you loved me again? I'm not a coat that you can hang in the closet to take out whenever you please! When you left me heartbroken, I fell in love with Severus."

Harry started to make a protesting noise but I held up a hand to stop him.

"Let me finish. I'm going to tell you that if you don't figure out soon whether we're friends or not, I'm going to make that decision for you. And it won't be a good one. I don't need the back and forth drama right now. I have a husband, two children, homework and other things to worry about as well. I don't need you added onto the pile. And if you decide you want to proceed as friends and you hurt me again, I may not be able to restrain some anger let loose by certain people."

I glanced over at Dumbledore who I knew would know exactly who I was talking about, but he was looking up at the ceiling, humming to himself. It appeared like one of those times where he had "gone temporarily deaf" so that you could say things without feeling bad.

"Think long and hard. I've already given you all the chances you need. I'm not going to give you another one if you screw this one up."

I stood up from my chair and Harry did the same. "I am not bewitched. I have loved Severus since the day the twins were born, possibly before that. No one knows, obviously, that we are married, and it needs to stay that way. It could be counter-productive to what we're trying to accomplish- taking down Voldemort. You cannot tell Ron and Hermione, no matter what."

Harry looked furious at this, and I left the room to let Dumbledore deal with him. I felt much lighter than I had in weeks. Even if he couldn't tell anyone and it really wasn't the best thing for him to know, I was glad at least someone knew.

_Author's Note: Sometimes giving someone a second chance is like giving them another bullet because they missed the first time. This is Harry's last bullet, let's see what he does with it. I hope you guys enjoyed! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	73. Chapter Seventythree

It was Halloween, nearly two weeks since the incident with Harry in Dumbledore's office. I didn't know what Dumbledore had told Harry, but Harry was seething for days afterwards, sulking like a child. He was probably angry that he had no way to pin anything on Severus.

Harry hadn't talked to me in all this time which made me assume that he didn't want anything to do with me anymore. Practically banished from the trio, I spent more and more of my time doing homework and looking after Posy and Melanie. Severus noticed this with what seemed to be increasing worry and cornered me one day, telling me that I needed to spend time with my friends. I told him that when they were ready to come and see me, I would talk to them.

What had happened was Harry stopped talking to me. Even though Hermione and Ron were absolutely bewildered by this and didn't understand anything, they stopped talking to me in hopes that they could get it out of Harry. When he refused to tell him, they figured it was just him being pissy again and started talking to me. That was the day before Halloween.

I think that was the year I actually did not go to the Halloween Feast. Melanie had come down with a fever the night before and I was loathe to leave her side, out of fear for what might happen. I took her to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey fussed with her constantly, and cooed about what a beautiful baby she was. I had to leave in order to go to classes, but the rest of the time I spent with her.

By the time the Feast started, Melanie was well in the clear and did not have a fever anymore, but Madame Pomfrey insisted that she stay in the hospital wing a little longer. And while I wanted her back with me in our own room, I capitulated and decided to stay there with her during the Feast.

Afterwards, Severus came down and joined me. We sat there just watching Melanie sleep. She looked so peaceful.

"Thank God it wasn't anything serious," I murmured. "Madame Pomfrey was able to fix her up quickly."

He nodded and asked, "Where is Posy?"

I sighed and said, "She is with Dobby right now. I feel horrible for neglecting her by being here with Melanie the whole time."

Severus shrugged and said, "It was only for a couple of days. And Dobby has her well taken care of."

And indeed he did. Dobby was the one who spent most of the time with them. He laughed with him, clothed them, fed them, changed them. He was like their little nurse, just as he had been when I was small. He treated them and loved them as if they were his own children. I secretly envied Dobby all the time he spent with my daughters. He was more of a parent than I was.

Severus interpreted my silence to mean that I was displeased with Dobby. He turned to me and said, "Is Dobby working fine?"

I snapped out of my reverie and said, "Of course. I was just thinking about it actually."

Severus seemed satisfied with this answer and we sat in silence once more.

Three days later it was November 3rd, the day that exactly one year ago Pansy had lost her baby. I saw her crying her eyes out behind a tapestry that day and went to comfort her. I felt almost guilty for my two healthy, beautiful babies when Pansy did not have hers anymore. I eventually had to put her to bed so she could rest from having cried so much. And later that day, I found Draco.

He was swaggering down the halls, partially drunk. It was a Saturday, so he had all the time in the world to drink. He was with his goons, Crabbe and Goyle, whom I had never liked. Draco spotted me and stumbled to where I stood so he could talk to me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Hello Katherine," he said with a benign smile.

"Hello Draco," I said rather severely. "Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe!" he said in a foolish voice. "Care to join me?"

I knew that this could go either one of two ways. He could make a fool of himself in front of everyone and get loads of detention, or I could take him to the one person I knew would help us.

"Sure, come on. I know where we can get loads of Firewhiskey." The lie came easy.

"Ok!" he exclaimed. I started walking with him and Crabbe and Goyle followed, flexing their powerful muscles. "Not you two," I said harshly.

They looked at me menacingly, cracking their knuckles the whole time we walked away. But it didn't bother me and Draco never noticed. He was too preoccupied by stopping at every one of the suits of armor and asking the inhabitants their names. Seeing as the suits couldn't talk, this made for a long journey since Draco wouldn't leave until he got his answer.

Finally we made it to where I wanted to be. I knocked on the door while Draco swayed on the spot, his eyes out of focus. Severus opened the door and I said, "He's been drinking."

Severus gave Draco a hard look and seemed to be considering not helping him. But he finally moved aside and let us through the door. I helped Draco over to a couch and sat him down. Severus and I just stood there, looking at him, he looking at us in return.

"Can you help him out?" I whispered to Severus.

His face screwed up in thought and he said, "I believe so. There may be a potion for this. Hold on."

He swept from the room and I smirked. Even after he got his dream post, he was still resorting to potions every time he could use one. I could tell he missed Potions class and his lab, but he would never admit that.

He came back promptly and crossed to Draco. "Take this, it's some good mead," Severus said, thin-lipped.

Draco took the flask from Severus's hands willingly and drank. Immediately I could see a difference. His eyes stopped looking so glazed over, and he became more aware of himself. The expression on his face turned from one of complete unworry to one of alertness in no time at all. He ran a hand through his short hair and looked at each of us in turn. He let his hand rest in his lap and he said, "Sorry."

Severus was not ready to forgive. "How could you have been so foolish Draco as to get drunk in the middle of the school? You could have been expelled."

And he really could have. Dumbledore had a strict no drinking policy among his students, which is why we were never served more than butterbeer, and even that was really only at special occasions. Some of the older students would sneak a drink or two when they were in Hogsmeade, but they would never come back as clearly inebriated as Draco.

"I don't know Uncle Severus. I couldn't help myself. Today is…"

His face twisted in agony and he said quietly, "I just wanted to forget."

Severus looked at me questioningly and I sat down next to Draco. I put an arm around his shoulder and said, "No one blames you for feeling the way you do Draco. But you cannot find forgetfulness at the bottom of a firewhiskey glass."

He looked up at me, having looked at the floor this entire time, and said, "It was all my fault. And I didn't even care at that time. I just let myself not feel anything. How could I have been so cold?"

I looked Draco square in the eyes and said, "You cannot change the past, but you can change how you perceive it and you can change your relationship with Pansy. If I were you, I would go and talk to her sometime today. She's not been having the best of days either."

He looked at me with baleful eyes and said, "What if she doesn't forgive me?"

I smacked him upside the head and said, "Don't be so thick! If she hadn't forgiven you, she wouldn't have gone back to you! But you need to tell her how you feel."

Draco nodded his reply and he looked down at the floor. He mumbled something I couldn't hear and I said, "Come again?"

He didn't take his eyes off the floor as he said, "I'm sorry about last year."

In that moment I realized that I had forgiven Draco a long time ago but hadn't felt it consciously yet. I made him look at me so I could deliver my sincere acceptance of his apology.

"I forgive you."

I looked at Severus who looked to be made of stone. I only knew he was trying to hide how he really felt rather than let it out. Severus nodded curtly to show that he forgave Draco as well.

I picked Draco up off the couch and gave him a gentle shove towards the door.

"Go tell her."

He nodded and closed the door quietly behind him.

I flopped on the couch, emotionally taxed for the day. "Thank you for helping me," I said, my voice full of gratitude.

"Of course," he said with a suddenly devious smile. He sat down next to me and pulled me into a light kiss. Soon it had deepened and things were getting rather heated. But before anything could go any further, I pulled away giggling and said, "I have too much homework!"

This was only a joke and Severus knew it. He was not amused though.

"Like hell you do!" he growled as he threw me over his shoulders, and I giggled and kicked my legs playfully as he walked us towards the bedroom.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys liked! As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	74. Chapter Seventyfour

The next day was Katherine's birthday. I knew she didn't like to make a big deal of it, so I didn't. I just gave her a gift and she smiled benignly as she opened a book on Muggles that talked extensively about electricity and how it worked. She thanked me and the day went on.

Potter had stopped talking to her altogether, which was fine with me. I knew it hurt a little but as long as she was hurt slightly now to avoid being hurt greatly later on, I was fine with it. My classes went on and Katherine perfected her Patronus. Everyone now fawned over the imposing creature that her Patronus formed. She was pleased with herself when she got to perform it in front of her classmates.

One afternoon I was in Katherine's room with her, playing with the twins on the floor while she read a book for Transfiguration when I felt a searing pain on my left arm. The Dark Lord was calling again.

I didn't want to go. I was quite content to stay right there with my wife and children, to keep the mantle of domestic peace on my shoulders. But I could not ignore it.

I stood up and Katherine followed me with her eyes. My sleeves had been rolled up and she saw the Mark was black; she knew I was being called.

Katherine was the only one I felt secure enough with to show even a glimpse of my Mark. When I had first shown it to her, she had been shocked but interested. At this point she had seen it so many times it was normal to her and she kept a straight face on. I knew she was worried though.

I bent down to kiss the twins on their foreheads and then pulled my wife up from reading her book to kiss her lightly. "Please be safe. Come back to me," she whispered.

I nodded. I couldn't formulate any words. I walked out of her bedroom to join my master.

This was the hardest part of answering the Dark Lord's call. Leaving Katherine. I knew, and she did as well, that there was a good chance every time that I may not come back. She worried constantly about me, so I tried downplaying it to assuage her fears. It didn't work. In fact, just the opposite. She yelled at me about it.

I recalled that "discussion".

"How dare you act as if this is no big deal?" she had screamed. "When any day you could be dead; leaving your wife and children behind!"

I found myself chuckling at the memory in spite of the situation. It had been just like Katherine to react in such a way.

I left the Hogwarts grounds and Apparated to just outside the Malfoy Manor. I walked up the long drive solitary.

I started thinking about Draco. He wasn't doing too well. Trying to kill Albus was really getting to him. I knew he was about to make a desperate attempt to get to him, one that might not work out so well and hurt someone. I was determined to help him to make sure that no one got hurt in the process. Well, relatively no one, all things considered if we reached our goal.

I got to the doors and opened them. I walked to the dining room and they were all sitting there waiting for me.

"Severus, we have a seat for you," said the Dark Lord, indicating a seat to his right. I shuddered inwardly and sat down next to him. Bellatrix was sitting to his left and beginning to show her pregnancy. Rudolphus was nowhere to be seen.

"As you all know, we have much to do. We need more people in the Ministry."

He looked directly at Lucius as he said it and added on, "Don't disappoint me."

Lucius nodded quietly. Narcissa was nowhere to be seen, but that meant nothing since she wasn't a Death Eater herself.

"Severus," the Dark Lord said turning to me. "How is Draco doing thus far with his task?"

Some people sniggered maliciously behind their hands and I felt disgusted with all of them. It seemed they didn't care who got hurt or killed as long as someone did.

"He has been working hard My Lord," I assured him. "I believe he is making considerable progress."

The Dark Lord nodded curtly at this. He turned to more boring matters and the meeting went on for about another twenty minutes or so. Then he dismissed us all, leaving the room to retire, Bellatrix trailing after him.

I crossed over to Lucius and asked, "Where was your wife this evening?"

Lucius cleared his throat and said, "She had some errands to run."

I nodded understandingly and Lucius asked, "How is Katherine? We haven't been getting many letters."

He seemed to be going for an offhand remark about his daughter's lack of correspondence, but I could detect the flicker of worry resting in his casual stance.

"She is doing well Lucius. And the children too," I said curtly. "I must get back to Hogwarts. Goodbye."

I swept from the room, desperately wanting to see my wife after this meeting. Frankly what got me through all of these terrifying summonses was the thought of seeing Katherine again.

I Apparated to just outside of Hogwarts and made my way slowly up the sloping grounds. My mind seemed to have suddenly turned to sludge. I couldn't think properly, I couldn't think of _anything_ for that matter.

I entered the castle and went to the third floor to see Katherine. It was nine, and I knew she would still be awake.

When I entered her room, I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

The twins were fast asleep in their cribs, dozing peacefully. There were broken things all over the floor as if they had been hurled at the walls in distress or anger. Katherine was curled up on her bed, sobbing dreadfully for some unknown reason, and Dobby was standing there comforting her.

When I entered the room, Katherine didn't seem to hear me at first, but Dobby did. I put a finger to my lips and walked quietly over to where Katherine lay. I dismissed Dobby and he left silently. I put a hand lightly on Katherine's shoulder and asked, "Are you alright?"

In retrospect, this was a stupid question. But thank Merlin Katherine didn't think so.

She sat up immediately and threw herself into my arms. I was absolutely bewildered. What could have been so wrong?

I craned my neck to make sure that the twins were actually sleeping and one of them had not died. My throat and chest constricted when I thought this, but they both immediately relaxed when I saw that both were fine. I focused my attention on Katherine.

"Katherine, tell me what's wrong," I commanded firmly. She mumbled something I couldn't hear and I said, "What?"

Obviously unable to find a good middle ground between yelling and whispering, she yelled, "I forgot Severus!"

At this point she was positively howling. I was alarmed. What could she have forgotten that would have her so worked up?

"What did you forget?" I asked.

Now she was blubbering, unable to string coherent words together.

"Late… Forgot… My fault…"

"Speak up," I said rather harshly.

"It's all my fault!" she cried impassioned. "I forgot to take the potion and now I'm late!"

I was utterly confused. "Late for what?"

She immediately sobered up and gave me a "really?" look. I tried processing what she had said. Late… Forgot… My mind immediately snapped the pieces of the puzzle together and I looked at her horrified.

"No," I breathed. "You can't… This is too much!"

She couldn't be pregnant. Not by a long shot. I had given her contraceptive potion that she took daily. This was not happening.

I grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her off the bed, and she gave a small yelp of surprise. I surged through the door, one goal in mind: to prove to myself we weren't going to have another baby.

I pulled her along the corridors, to my office. We reached it and I wrenched the handle of the door. I threw the door open and dragged her over to a chair. She sat down, now crying again, but this time it was silent. It was more haunting than the time before.

I rushed to my chest, searching for the potion I needed, somewhere, anywhere. It took me ages to find, but I finally got it. I poured a small amount into a vial and found a small knife. I went over to Katherine and said, "Hold out your hand."

She dutifully did so and I took her hand in mine. I placed the knife at the tip of one of her fingers and pressed slightly. I could hear her take in a sharp breath and looked up. She had screwed her face up, looking away the entire time. I had completely forgotten in my haze of fear that she couldn't tolerate pain.

"Hush, it's over," I said as I squeezed a couple of drops of her blood into the vial.

I corked the vial and set it on the desk. Then we sat and waited the hour and a half.

It was the longest of my life. The two hours it took for the twins to be born were nothing compared to this interminable silence that seemed to stretch on and on.

_We can't have another baby. It would look suspicious and the students would start to ask questions. Potter would know, and he's not one to keep his mouth shut. How would she be able to do her schoolwork? How would this look to the Dark Lord and Lucius. They would know that this had turned out to be more than what they thought it was. They would use this marriage against us; it would tear us apart, maybe even one of us would be killed. Narcissa would drop dead of a heart attack. Dumbledore would light into me, saying that I should have never let myself get in this sort of situation. Merlin. If she really is pregnant…_

I considered for a short while making her lose the baby if it turned out she was pregnant.

Thank God we didn't have to worry about making that decision.

After an hour and a half, the bottle abruptly turned onyx. Black. I had never been so happy to see such a color in my life.

I looked at Katherine and her mouth had fallen into an "O" of surprise. Then her face split into a wide grin.

"YES!" she yelled triumphantly. She literally fist pumped the air. I believe she would have given me a high-five if she hadn't seen the look on my face. She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the expression on my face.

Her grin faded quickly, and she said, "It's all my fault. I didn't take the potion that day like I should have."

I pulled her into a hug and said, "Its fine. You just can't forget it again."

I could feel her nodding against my chest. Merlin she was tiny. Like a china doll.

I took her hand and led her back to her room. We were silent the whole way. By the time we made it to her room, it was about eleven. She sighed and opened the door and leaned against the doorway.

"Good night," she said. I kissed her briefly; when I pulled away her hair was teal blue.

I stared in shock, unable to communicate what I was seeing. Katherine took a lock of her hair and held it up, enabling her to see her now bubblegum pink hair. I whipped my head to see down both ways of the corridor and could find no one that could be performing those spells. And then I heard shrieks of laughter coming from Katherine's room.

The twins were standing up in their cribs, giggling with delight at Katherine's ever changing hair. It was now a firetruck red and I burst out laughing. She started laughing as well and we couldn't stop. After the hours we had spent worrying over different things, it felt good to let some of that go by laughing at Katherine's now highlighter yellow hair.

I straightened up and let out the last of my chuckles. I pointed my wand at Katherine's head and performed the reverse charm to her hair. It turned back to its natural black and I pointed at the twins still smiling mischievously. "Stop it," I said firmly. They just smiled back devilishly and Katherine sighed.

"Good night Severus," she said and closed the door.

I chuckled all the way back to my living quarters.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, leave your comments and tell me what you want to see in the next few chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	75. Chapter Seventyfive

The day after my pregnancy scare, I went to classes as usual. It was a Friday and I was immensely glad that the week was over. I was exhausted from schoolwork. But on the bright side, the Christmas holidays were in about a month, so I would have all the relaxation time I needed.

That night, instead of holing myself up in my room like I usually did, I decided to go to the common room and spend time with Hermione and Ron.

I spoke the password (brobdingnagian) to the Fat Lady and she swung forward to admit me. I spotted Ron in a corner with Lavender, snogging as usual. I rolled my eyes and found Hermione with her nose in a book, desperately trying to block out the image of Ron and Lavender. I walked over to Hermione, knowing she needed a friend, and sat down with her. She looked up from her book and smiled brightly.

"Hello," she said, seemingly glad to have a distraction. "What are you doing here?"

"Is it that abnormal to see me here?" I asked laughing.

Hermione grinned and said, "Well, you do spend a lot of time in your room."

"I've come to remedy that tonight," I said lightly.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" she questioned.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow?" I said blankly.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly and said, "This is why you need to come to the common room more often. You know they only post it here."

She pointed to the notice board and I squinted to see a paper that was hidden under many more. Sure enough, there was a Hogsmeade trip set for the next day.

I turned back to her and said, "I don't know if I'll go." I had planned on spending the day with my children.

Ron walked over to the two of us at this point and sat down beside me. He looked tired and not at all happy that he had just come from snogging Lavender. He gave Hermione a glance that was full of- longing? I knew he fancied her, and she him, but this desperate bid to gain her attention was getting out of hand. I rolled my eyes at the puppy dog look on Ron's face. Hermione gave a little sniff and went back to her book.

"Going to Hogsmeade tomorrow Katherine?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I said serenely.

"Come on, please?" he said in his most wheedling tone. "We'd love to have you with us!"

I snorted and said, "I don't think so Ron. Not _everyone_ would like to have me there."

Ron dismissed this proclamation with a wave of his hand. "Harry's being dumb, and he can deal with you. Come with us."

I considered this for a moment and said, "Alright fine. But I'll probably leave pretty early to be with Posy and Melanie."

Ron seemed to open his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it with a mischievous smile. I knew that he thought he could keep me in Hogsmeade if I had a good enough time.

Harry came through the portrait hole and I took that as my cue to leave.

The next day I woke up rather earlier than usual by Posy crying. I got up and fed her and saw that it was 5:45. Since breakfast was in about an hour and a half, there was no need to go back to sleep.

I washed my face, brushed my hair and put some clean robes on. By this time, Melanie had woken up and needed feeding too. By the time I had finished getting ready, it was time to go down to the Hall for breakfast. I called for Dobby, descended the three flights of stairs that it took to get to the Hall and entered it. Not many people were there yet. I sat down at the Gryffindor table and started eating and waited for Hermione and Ron.

The three of them came into the Hall together, Hermione and Ron chatting animatedly, and Harry looking none too pleased. I suppose he was angry that Ron had invited me along. They reached the table and sat down, Harry glaring at me the entire time. I ignored him.

"Hello!" I said brightly. "What do you guys want to do in Hogsmeade today?"

"We were thinking Honeydukes, Zonkos, and then the Three Broomsticks. Then we were just going to leave," Ron said excitedly. Lavender sat down at the table a few people away and looked at Ron reproachfully. It seemed that she wasn't invited to come with us to Hogsmeade.

Ron saw Lavender and I thought I saw the slightest flinch. I shook my head at the two of them.

"Sounds like a plan," I said, bringing Ron's attention away from Lavender.

We finished our breakfast and left the Hall for Hogsmeade. It had started to snow the night before and there was a white, frosty blanket on the ground. There was a light drizzle of snow and we set off on the path to Honeydukes. Ron and Harry were chatting about what sort of sweets they would buy and Hermione was trying to convince me to nip on down to Scrivenshafts or Dervish and Banges while the boys were at Zonkos.

We reached the sweet shop and Ron and Harry ran around the shop looking at the new types of candy. Hermione made her way to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans while I drifted over to the Pumpkin Pasties and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. When we all met back outside after our purchases, the boys' pockets were bulging with sweets and Hermione and I were carrying little bags with the Honeydukes logo printed on them. We made plans to meet at the Three Broomsticks in an hour and Hermione and I waved to the boys as they made their way to Zonkos; we set off for Scrivenshafts.

At this point the drizzle had turned into a flurry and Hermione and I kept our heads down as we battled the wind. We got to Scrivenshafts and Hermione oohed and ahhed over a beautiful peacock feather quill.

"I really do need a new quill," she mused. "My last and favorite one broke the other day and I had to borrow one of the boy's until we could get here."

But instead of buying the ostentatious quill, she decided to be more practical and bought herself a sturdy goose feather one. Delighted with her purchase, we left the shop and went next door to the Three Broomsticks. It was about fifteen minutes until the appointed time, so I got a table big enough for all of us and Hermione went to go get a couple of butterbeers.

She came back with two heated mugs of the frothy drink and sat down. I gladly sipped my drink; it was so welcome after the cold from outside. I looked up and saw Hermione watching me intensely.

"What?" I asked, wondering if I had some foam on my upper lip.

"Katy- what's going on between you and Harry?"

I froze. I didn't want to lie to Hermione. I couldn't tell her the truth either. And I most certainly didn't want to give the only semi-apologetic "I can't tell you" that I had been giving her for the past year.

I thought carefully about what I was going to say. Finally I came up with a solution and spoke slowly.

"Harry and I…. Had a disagreement. He didn't approve of… Something I did. And now he doesn't want to talk to me."

And as an afterthought, I added, "But this time there's no making up. We're truly through as friends. I let him choose and he doesn't want to be around me."

Hermione nodded. I knew she would understand that I couldn't talk about what had happened.

I thought about everything I had done that had made Harry angry. Keeping Severus's children, marrying him. Falling in love with him. I said suddenly, "But I want you to know Hermione, that what I did was not done lightly."

She nodded and we sipped our butterbeers in silence. Ron and Harry came in, completely covered in snow and shivering. They sat down at our table and Madam Rosmerta swooped down on us.

"What would the two of you like to drink?" she asked with a brilliant smile.

Ron, absolutely smitten, said, "Two butterbeers, thanks."

She nodded and walked off, Ron's eyes trailing after her until I hit him upside the head.

"You have a girlfriend," I admonished.

"Not a very good one," he muttered so only I could hear. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. He was a big boy, he could get himself out of that relationship if he wanted to.

We saw Slughorn across the room and Harry hid in his seat, unable to stand another chat about a Slug Club party.

After Slughorn left, Harry went into a tirade about having seen Mundungus Fletcher outside of the Three Broomsticks selling of Sirius's stuff. I looked at Ron's face while he told the story; judging by his expression, Harry had been quite scary.

We left later after having drunk our butterbeers. Everyone was in a particularly good mood, until Katie Bell got cursed.

She was fighting with her friend up the street when she fell to the ground, soundlessly writhing. Then she flew into the air and screamed bloody murder.

Hermione and Ron stood transfixed as Harry and I sprinted over to Katie and each took a leg, trying to pull her back down to the ground. She fell, crashing into the earth and Harry looked around for help.

"I'm going to go find someone!" he yelled over Katie's screaming. He stood and scrambled up the slope towards the castle. Ron and Hermione descended on Katie, trying to quiet her. Her friend could do no more than hold her hand with tears coursing down her face. I looked up at Hermione and Ron and they were both petrified; none of us had seen anyone act this way before.

What felt like an eternity later with Katie's screams getting shrillier and louder by the minute, Harry came back trudging through the snow with Hagrid. Hagrid heaved Katie up off the ground and ran back to the castle with her.

"It happened when that package opened!" Katie's friend cried. "I don't know what it is about that package, but it's giving me the creeps. She came out of the loo with it and said she had to deliver it to someone at the castle, we fought and then it tore."

Ron leaned down for the package, hand outstretched, but Harry held him back.

"Don't touch it," he said harshly.

Harry took off his scarf and gathered the necklace in it.

We all went back up to the castle, Hermione and I lagging back a bit to comfort the newly named Leanne. Her crying had subsided substantially by the time we reached the school. But when we entered it and McGonagall came running down the stairs to demand to know what had happened, Leanne started wailing again.

"Is that the necklace Potter?" McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes Professor," said Harry, rather subdued. He seemed to be mulling something over in his mind.

"Miss Malfoy," McGonagall said suddenly. My head whipped around to meet her eyes and she was holding the scarf to me.

"Take this to Professor Snape and tell him what happened. Be careful not to touch it," she warned.

I nodded mutely and ran to Severus's office. I banged on the door, willing entrance immediately.

"Come in," he ordered in his silkiest voice. I barreled into the room and found Draco sitting in one of the chairs. His head whipped around and, upon seeing the scarf in my hands, stalked from the room.

_What was that all about?_

"Yes Katherine?" Severus prompted.

The story came out in a flood, the fighting, Katie flying through the air, the necklace, Leanne's story. When I finished he looked deeply concerned.

"That is the necklace?" he questioned. I handed it to him soundlessly and he laid the necklace on the desk, raising it with his wand. He examined it and said, "Excuse me, I must-"

Without another word, he left the office, supposedly to see what he could do for Katie.

I sighed and left the room to go see my children. It was several hours until I heard a knock on my door. I got up off the floor where I had been playing with the twins and opened the door to see Severus.

"Is she ok?" I asked immediately.

He sighed and came in the room looking troubled.

"She was cursed by that necklace. Anyone who touches it is cursed; and it's a powerful one. It was a good thing that she touched it with the bare amount of skin, or she would have died. Thankfully she did not touch it with her full hand, and she will hopefully make a full recovery. It'll take a long time though. They're going to transfer to St. Mungos soon."

I breathed a sigh of relief, but there was something that was bugging me.

"Who got her to try and deliver that package? And who was she supposed to deliver it to?"

"I can't tell you," he said immediately. I was rather taken aback. He pretty much told me everything. Except for when he wouldn't tell me about what Draco had to do…

"It was Draco!" I whispered. I was sure Severus could hear this, so I looked to him for validation. His face was as if it had been carved from stone. He gave nothing away.

I didn't need him to tell me, I knew it in my heart. Draco had been acting so shiftily lately and so worried as well. This all made perfect sense. He was trying to get rid of someone. It couldn't have been Harry or Katie would have given him the necklace straight away in the street.

_I'll worry about this later,_ I thought. _No sense in worrying about it now._

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! To clear things up, Katherine's children are NOT metamorphmagi. They were just displaying their prominent powers. After all, Katherine is a very powerful witch and Severus is a very powerful wizard. As always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	76. Chapter Seventysix

"I wonder why Voldemort can't love," Harry said suddenly one day in class. It was the end of November and December hung in the air, the students trembling in anticipation of Christmas and the time off it would bring.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said pointedly, looking at Harry's Potions book, "Honestly, with as much time as you spend with that book, you don't read much of it, do you?"

Ron looked taken aback and said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

I was curious. What answers could that book hold about Voldemort?

"It has everything to do with him!" Hermione said in an almost offended tone. It was almost as if she was surprised that Ron and Harry hadn't bothered to read whatever crucial piece of information it was that she was now dangling in front of their faces.

"Why don't you just tell us Hermione?" Harry said exasperatedly.

Hermione turned to me and asked, "Did you read it?"

I threw my hands in the air to indicate that I didn't. "When do I have time to leisurely sit around and read books?"

I had meant this as an off-hand remark, but Hermione went pink around the ears and stammered, "Of course not- that is- I didn't mean-"

I waved my hand and said, "Never mind it. What does the book say?"

"Well," Hermione began while making water shoot from the tip of her wand. "It says that anyone conceived under the effects of a love potion cannot love."

I considered this for a moment and it seemed ridiculous. Realization dawned on Harry and Ron's faces and they were nodding in understanding. Dumbledore had only just told Harry a couple days ago that Voldemort's mother had conceived him while giving his father a love potion. My grandmother. My grandfather. I shuddered to think that I was related to those sort of people.

I flipped my hair from my face and made a jet of water stream from my wand tip. "I think that's absolute rubbish," I sniffed.

"But it's true! Studies have shown that-"

"Don't believe everything you read Hermione," I said grimly. I sneaked a look at her and she looked offended again.

I couldn't tell you why I was so hotly defending such a topic. God knew I didn't think Voldemort was worth defending, much less the actions of his mother. But what Hermione said about not being able to love irked me.

Hermione didn't talk to me for the rest of the day because she was angry about the snide comment I made.

Later that night, I was sitting in Severus's office doing my homework while he floated an object just in the twins' reach, making them grasp at it and yelp in frustration when he made it float upwards from their outstretched hands. I looked up and saw him sniggering in delight when Posy made a desperate grab for it and fell over Melanie, both twins giggling hysterically.

"Severus," I said suddenly. If anyone knew, it would be him. "Is it true that if someone is conceived under the effects of a love potion that they are unable to love?"

He looked up at me, his concentration diverted, and the object fell through the air, hitting one of the twins on the top of the head. Thankfully it was a light object, but all the same she started to cry. Severus scooped the wailing twin into his arms and hushed her until she was subdued. He cradled her as he looked up at me and asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"I, uh- came across the theory in a book today and was- wondering- if it was more than a theory," I said haltingly.

His eyes narrowed as he said, "You're a truly horrible liar Katherine."

I grimaced and said, "Not all the time."

_How many times have I had to lie to get myself out of a sticky situation or keep my personal life under wraps?_

I shook myself of the thought as he answered, "Well, it's a hotly debated topic, but studies have shown that this is true. Potioneers for hundreds of years have examined what little subjects are out there and come to the conclusion that no one conceived under the effects of a love potion are able to love."

He paused and then said, "Of course there are those daft, soft people out there who believe its absolute rubbish and want to think that everyone can love if they try hard enough. It's only nature's way though; it's not the child's fault, but the parent who drugged their partner."

I flinched when he said "those daft, soft people" and was offended, but kept it to myself. I didn't want to get into an argument; he knew way more about potions than I did anyways.

I sighed and gathered my things. "Good night Severus," I said tiredly as I collected my children and went to my own room to sleep.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! I wanted to make a chapter about this because, like Katherine, when JK Rowling said that anyone who was conceived under a love potion couldn't love, I thought it was rubbish. And I still do, even if Rowling said it herself. Anyways, as always, review your comments and what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	77. Chapter Seventyseven

It was the worst time of the year. Couples snogging in the hallways, girls giggling under mistletoe in hopes that a good-looking boy would kiss them, the suits of armor singing carols. What a waste of time and energy.

The Great Hall had been decorated for Christmas and there were twinkling fairies in most of the trees. None of my students were paying attention at all in class. I had to yell at several of them the closer it got to the holidays.

"Potter! Weasley! Ten points from Gryffindor for not doing the assignment and choosing to talk about your plans for the holidays," I snarled one day in class. Katherine gave me a disapproving look and I smirked. Just the other day she had brought up the fact that I took so many points away from Gryffindor.

"You know when you're taking points away from them, you're taking points away from me too," she had said reproachfully.

I snorted and said sarcastically, "If you have a problem with it, then talk to Potter. I'm sure he'd love to hear you tell him that you want him to act like an angel in my class so you don't have to face the humiliation of your husband taking points away from your house."

She had rolled her eyes like she didn't care, but went slightly pink around the ears when I mentioned her talking to Potter about the two of us.

_Potter! What right did he have, snooping around after the two of us, listening in on private conversations and lessons? Dumbledore didn't punish that boy severely enough._

And he truly hadn't. He had only given him a few days worth of detention. Dumbledore was too soft with Potter.

Potter opened his mouth like he was going to retort, but seemed to think better of it and shut his mouth, furiously practicing his spells with Weasley.

Katherine was working a couple partners over with Granger, and both were doing exceptionally well. We were practicing wordless spells again and the two women were excelling. Of course I didn't give any points to Gryffindor for their ability to perform the spells so well; that would have been counter-productive to my system of taking points away.

At this point, Granger and Katherine were almost flawlessly sending wordless jinxes to one another and deflecting them just as wordlessly. They were actually having a duel in the middle of the classroom, each sending different colored jets of light at one another, hoping to catch the other off guard. Soon the entire class stopped to watch their battle.

Katherine was smiling, thinking she was going to win. And she might have if she hadn't been distracted someone catcalling towards the back of the room.

Granger cast the Knockback Jinx just as Katherine looked away, making her unable to defend herself, and sending her toppling backwards by the force of Granger's spell. People clapped for Granger's victory and she grinned. She went over to help Katherine off the floor. Katherine flipped her hair out of her eyes, smiled, and said in a good-natured way, "No fair! I would have totally had you if I hadn't looked away!"

"But you did," Granger reminded her, laughingly. At this point I cut in.

"Miss Granger, Miss Malfoy, ten points from Gryffindor for failing to restrain yourselves from showing off to the entire class," I said while trying to keep a laugh at bay. Katherine crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and Granger looked demurely towards her feet. But, feeling I needed to let them know they did at least something right, I said, "But fifteen points for being able to duel successfully without speaking incantations."

Granger's head shot up in disbelief and Katherine uncrossed her arms, as if she had already forgiven me. Everyone else probably thought I had an aneurysm. I couldn't remember the last time I had given points to Gryffindor. Apparently no one else could either. I smirked and announced, "Everyone but Granger and Malfoy has homework tonight for failing to successfully cast spells wordlessly. You will write a foot long essay on the proper technique and the mechanics of how wordless spells work, to be handed into me by the next lesson."

Everyone groaned and I grinned nastily. As much as I hated grading homework, I loved giving them homework to see them angry. I could see Katherine roll her eyes in my peripherals and said, "I saw that Malfoy!"

She jumped and hurriedly packed her bag before I could take any more points from Gryffindor.

_Author's Note: I know it's a chapter with no meaning to the story, but I thought it would be fun to write. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, continue to comment and tell me what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	78. Chapter Seventyeight

The day before Slughorn's Christmas party, Hermione asked me in a businesslike manner, "Do you like anyone?"

I sat there at the table in the library, my mouth agape at her question. I quickly shut it and said, "Of course. I like you and Ron and-"

"No, I mean, do you have a crush on someone?" she interrupted. I looked at her uneasily and said, "No."

I had been so focused on grades, my children, and on Severus that I forgot that people looked at me and thought I was single.

"Well, you may want to intimate that to Blaise Zabini," she said rather grimly.

I was perplexed and intrigued. "What does Blaise Zabini have to do with anything?"

Hermione looked at me sideways and returned to the book she was reading. Without looking at me she said, "He plans on asking you to Slughorn's party. He seems to think that he's waited an appropriate amount of time after you and Harry broke up."

I was confused. Why did Blaise want to go with me? I was a Gryffindor and by default he should have hated my guts. Granted he may have been the only one of Draco's friends that I actually got along with sometimes, there was still something in his voice when he talked to me that spoke of his belief in his superiority. Even though he thought I was pureblooded like him, which, revealed to me only a couple months ago, I was not, he thought less of me since I wasn't in Slytherin. Like I had a defect of some sort.

Hermione looked sideways at me again and said in a rather unconvincing voice, "Of course you don't have to go if you don't want to."

I scoffed and said, "Hermione, why do you want me to go with Blaise?"

"Well, my date leaves something to be desired and I thought that if I had you there it would be more bearable," she said in a smallish voice.

"Who're you going with?" I asked interestedly.

She went rather pink in the face and said sheepishly, "Cormac McLaggen. I thought he would annoy Ron the most."

I rolled my eyes and went back to my book. Hermione interrupted my reading again.

"You know, lots of boys fancy you. They think you're really pretty and smart and want to ask you out, but they never have the chance since you're always holed up in your room."

She gave me an accusing look, as if it was my fault that boys pined over me because I was studious and wanted to spend time with my children.

I yet again rolled my eyes and went back to reading.

Sure enough, later that day after lessons, Blaise cornered me and asked if I would like to go with him to the party. I didn't necessarily want to, but I thought that Hermione would be more miserable without me there than I would be going with Blaise. I accepted and let him know very clearly it was as friends.

He looked slightly disappointed but mollified with my consent. He bounded into the Great Hall and sat down with his friends. I could hear him boasting from my seat at the Gryffindor Table that he had snagged the elusive Katherine Malfoy for his own. And I literally saw boys with jealous expressions on their faces shoving gold at him from across the table. I suddenly felt sick and didn't want to go to the party anymore.

The next day was the last day of term and the night before I had told Severus that I was going to Slughorn's party with Blaise. He looked nonchalant when I told him, but left rather earlier than usual. I shrugged my shoulders and left him to sulk. He would come round later.

After classes, I went to my room and got out my nicest dress. It was a lovely emerald green with a v-neck and fitted middle. The straps were as wide as my shoulders and it was knee length, hopefully giving Blaise the impression that I was not out to make him want me. I put the dress on and applied some makeup. Makeup was not necessarily a favorite of mine. My mother, who had tried to instill the love of looking like a model in me, was disappointed when I came downstairs every day with my hair in a hair band and looking disheveled. She would fuss at me and try to make me look nice every day, but eventually gave up. I did however dress up for family dinners because my mother liked it when I did. Not to mention it was the rule.

I rolled my eyes thinking about this. I fastened some earrings in my ears and put on a simple necklace. By this time it was about ten minutes until I was supposed to meet Blaise. I threw on some shoes and went to go meet him in front of the Slytherin common room entrance. Two minutes later, he stepped out looking rather debonair and grinned at me.

"You look nice," he said appraisingly. I didn't like the way he was looking at me, so I settled for an awkward, "Thanks. You too."

He offered me his arm and I took it. He steered me to the floor that Slughorn's Christmas party was being held on and presented an invitation to the person standing at the door. I couldn't help but think that this was a ridiculously pompous party. I wondered why they needed to present invitations; no one in their right mind would try and sneak into this party.

I spotted Hermione across the room and made a beeline for her. Blaise looked slightly offended that I left him, but followed me to where Hermione was chatting with Cormac.

"And then I just dived and caught the Quaffle! It really was my greatest save yet," he said in conclusion as we drew nearer. Hermione looked bored out of her mind and came to attention when she saw me. She looked stunning in her dress that was a pale pink and tea length.

"Katherine. I wanted to talk to you about something!" Hermione said in an extremely false voice that seemed to fool no one but Blaise and Cormac.

"Alright, um," I said, casting my eyes around for a place to talk. I found a solution and said to the boys with a smile, "Do you mind getting us drinks?"

Eager to please, they left almost immediately. Hermione let out a long sigh and I laughed.

"So. Cormac," I said with a malicious grin.

"Oh don't look at me like that!" she snapped. "You know I'm not having a good time. McLaggen can do nothing but talk about his amazing Quidditch feats which get more and more boring by the story."

"At least he didn't place bets on you," I said grimly and under my breath.

Hermione didn't hear this and gave a false smile when the boys came back with drinks. They looked rather disgruntled and were giving each other looks of intense dislike. I rolled my eyes and accepted my drink from Blaise. I couldn't ignore the way he was looking at me; it was making me feel rather uncomfortable.

"Look, there's Ginny!" Hermione said distractedly. She moved away from the group and McLaggen trailed after her like a sad puppy. It was just me and Blaise. I spotted Harry and almost wanted to go talk to him because I was so nervous with Blaise; he wouldn't stop looking at me the way he had earlier.

But I didn't want to force my company on Harry. He had made the decision of not being friends anymore and I was going to respect that. I saw that he had brought Luna and was glad. She was getting called "Loony" more and more these days. And while I knew that it didn't really bother her so much, I was hopeful that maybe everyone would stop thinking of her in such a way after this party. I saw Ginny and Hermione was nowhere near her; in fact, I couldn't see Hermione at all.

I peered around the room looking for her and Blaise cleared his throat expectantly. My head whipped around and he was peering at me over his drink.

"So, how are classes going? You must be acing all of them since you spend so much time in your room studying," he said conversationally.

So Hermione hadn't been lying when she said that boys had noticed that I was spending all my time in my room. I shook this thought from my head and said, "It's not all cupcakes and unicorns. I spend a lot of my time with my children as well."

"Ah yes," he said coolly. "What are their names again?"

"Posy and Melanie," I said automatically. I was slightly offended by the way he talked about the twins. Something about it put me off; I couldn't put my finger on it.

Hermione came back, gasping and clutching a stitch in her side.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" I asked concernedly.

She gained back her breath and said, "I've just escaped Cormac! He tried to kiss me under the mistletoe."

I saw Blaise looking at her with intense dislike and thought, not for the first time that evening, that coming with him had been a bad idea.

"Why would anyone want to kiss you Granger?" he sneered.

I was about to retort, or slap him, when I saw Draco being dragged into the party by his ear by Filch. He was brought before Professor Slughorn who was standing and talking to Harry, Trelawney and- Severus? I wondered what he was doing there and Filch stomped away angrily. Apparently, Draco did not get punished for whatever he had done wrong. Suddenly, Severus started heading towards the door, compelling Draco to follow him. I was intrigued, but did not try and follow them. However, Harry did.

I was sure that he was going to use his Invisibility Cloak to trail them and I was angry. He could just never keep his nose out of anyone's business.

I turned to Blaise abruptly whom Hermione was eyeing warily and said, "I have a headache. I want to go back to my room."

I gave a meaningful look to Hermione and she nodded her understanding. She knew that I was sorry for having come here with Blaise and I'm sure she was sorry for having asked me to go with him.

"I'll walk you back- third floor right?" he said in a gentlemanly way that had subtle undertones of something I couldn't put my finger on.

"Alright," I said rather uneasily. He gave me his arm in the same fashion as before and I took it.

"Bye," I threw over my shoulder at Hermione and waved. She waved back miserably as Cormac finally caught up to her.

My heels and his dress shoes clicked on the flagstone in the eerie silence, making a horrible, punctuated rhythm. We didn't talk, like we had passed most of the night, and I felt Blaise's eyes on me the entire time. We walked down the three flights of stairs it took to get to the third floor since Slughorn's office was on the sixth. When we reached the door to my room, I turned to Blaise and said in my most congenial voice, "Thank you for a nice evening."

Blaise didn't say anything, he just stared at me. Then he did something completely out of the blue. He grabbed my arms, pulled me towards him, and kissed me. I was completely caught by surprise. I couldn't help but think _"What the hell?"_ and felt absolutely revolted. I fought against him, but he held me tighter, trying to get me to kiss him back. I summoned all my strength, which was admittedly not much, and pushed him off of me.

"MALFOY! ZABINI!"

I jumped and whipped my head around to see Severus marching down the corridor, face white with fury and cloak billowing about. For once, I was happy to see Severus so angry. As long as it would get Blaise far away from my room. And my person.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin," he said in a barely controlled voice, nostrils flaring and lip trembling. He looked as if he was about to breathe fire.

"But Professor-" Blaise began insolently.

"No buts," Severus snarled. "Go back to your dormitory Zabini."

Blaise sauntered away, apparently seeing nothing wrong with the picture. But you had to be behind the scenes to see the severity of it.

"Get in," Severus snarled, opening the door and holding it for me. I went quietly; it wouldn't have been smart to temper his ire by arguing.

He slammed the door behind him after casting some sort of muffling charm over the twin's cribs.

"What did he say to you?" he asked in what I thought was a rather threatening tone.

"Nothing! We barely spoke the entire evening."

And this was true. It was only nine o'clock and the party had started at eight, not leaving much time to talk at all.

"He just asked how I was doing in classes and told me that I was dressed nicely," I said.

"You gave him no provocation?" Severus said suspiciously.

I threw my hands in the air. "Why would I Severus?"

At this rhetorical question, Severus's anger seemed to ebb away and he seemed slightly ashamed at the way he had spoken to me. He looked rather uncomfortable and shuffled his feet, clearly at a loss of what to say. I could tell he was still angry, but at least he wasn't taking it out on me like he usually did.

I heaved a sigh and sat down on the bed, crossing my arms over my chest. Severus looked down at me with about a three foot height difference. God he was tall. He turned away, pinched the bridge of his nose, and walked over to the cribs, looking down on the twins.

He stood there for a while. I didn't dare tell him that I was insulted by some things Blaise had said and that I had seen him betting on getting a date with me.

"I heard him talking. I didn't think he would actually do anything," Severus said without looking at me, teeth clenched.

I was confused. _What?_

"He had bet some of his classmates that he could get a date with you and get you to kiss him by the end of the night. I didn't think he was serious though. I went to the party, in case I was wrong in my assumptions. He looked like he was being polite, so I left with Draco."

My interest was piqued. I interrupted him and asked, "What were you discussing with Draco?"

He looked at me incredulously and said, "Really? You're asking me that right now?"

"Sorry," I said as a quick apology.

He seemed to gather himself and said, "Well, I decided that you were in no harm and was on my way back to my offices when I saw-"

He was clearly unable to finish, so I jumped in and asked, "What were you talking to Draco about?"

"Always the one-track mind," he observed. "You're so nonchalant about it; he practically attacked you."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Severus, I was not scared. I can fight for myself. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself if need be."

As an afterthought, I added, "I was merely surprised. And I promise you that if he pulls that stunt again-"

"Maybe you were able to throw him off this time, but what about the next time? What if he didn't want just a kiss?" Severus threw at me. I sighed and shook my head. I knew he would take it in this direction. He was personally offended that a student had accosted his wife, and he wasn't going to waste time in letting me know that.

"Severus, I was fine. I had the situation under control-"

"But what if you didn't!" he roared. "Blaise Zabini is one thing, someone else may be another!"

"You are blowing this out of proportion!" I yelled right back.

"I don't think I am," he snarled. "I think you're downplaying it because deep down you think you're invincible!"

I rolled my eyes and scowled at him. "Where would you get a silly notion like that?"

"You pull dumb stunts all the time and somehow, Merlin knows why, come out of them unscathed. Going with Zabini was a dumb stunt," he stated.

"I only went with him because people are starting to question why, after a year and a half of having broken up with Harry, do I not have a boyfriend or show interest in anyone. People talk Severus, and we need to keep us a secret for as long as we can," I said defensively.

"I'd rather the cat be out of the bag so teenage boys don't start jumping on you every minute of the day," he said rather testily.

I laughed coldly and said, "Why would they want to do that? I'm just an average teenager."

Severus shook his head and said, "You're way too dumb and self-confident for your own damn good. That's what got you into this mess tonight."

Anger bubbled up inside of me and popped like a balloon. "Pray tell, how did my stupidity and self-confidence get myself into trouble tonight?"

"You're so naive when it comes to teenage boys. One would have thought that you would have learned something about them after your relationship with Potter. And you're extremely beautiful without realizing you are."

I opened my mouth to argue this point, but he cut me off by raising a hand and said, "Don't tell me again that you aren't because your mother forced you to wear makeup. That was to enhance how pretty you are, not cover up ugliness."

I shut my mouth, knowing it was useless to argue. He continued.

"You're extremely confident in your abilities to defend yourself against most people or magical creatures. While this is a good thing sometimes, and you are a powerful witch, your confidence in your ability to protect yourself is too high. You can't defend yourself against everything," he said.

"I beg to differ," I said coldly. I was not cocky in the slightest. I could, and did, get out of sticky situations constantly- without help. Severus didn't believe in my ability to protect myself. It wasn't an over-confidence in me that was the problem; it was _his _lack of confidence in _me_.

He ran a hand over his face and looked extremely tired. "I only have your best interests at heart Katherine," he pleaded.

I turned a stony face to him and that seemed to end the discussion. He strode angrily to the door and slammed it on the way out. I could hear him cursing all the way down the hallway.

_Author's Note: Ugh, I could hardly write this chapter, I was so disgusted by the thought of Blaise kissing her. But I thought it would do well. It was a longer chapter than usual, but I hope you guys liked it. Anyways, as always, comment and tell me what you want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	79. Chapter Seventynine

The day after Slughorn's Christmas party, Katherine came to me and said, "My parents are having their annual Christmas party tonight. It starts at eight."

She said this with a rather ugly look on her face. Although I assumed she didn't want to talk to me, I was sure that the look on her face wasn't because of that, but because she didn't want to go to her home.

It wasn't going to be cheerful for her, I knew. Her father was in prison and her brother was retreating into himself from the pressure of his mission. The Dark Lord was there, who always made for a cheerful visit. In fact, I believe the last time they had spoken to each other Katherine had stated that he was vile and that there was no way in burning hell she would do anything for his cause.

I inclined my head to show that I knew my attendance was required and went back to grading papers. I thought she would leave, but she didn't. She just stood there in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyebrows were contracted as if she was concentrating or was in deep thought.

"Yes?" I said more waspishly than I meant it.

She frowned at me, said, "Nothing," and walked away.

I sat there completely flabbergasted but went back to my work. At thirty minutes to seven, I left my office to meet Katherine in the Entrance Hall. She had brought along Draco who looked surlier than ever. He was getting frustrated with his mission.

"Ready?" I asked, looking around the Hall to make sure we weren't being followed.

Draco stared at me moodily and Katherine glared at me. I repeated myself, louder this time. "Ready?" I said testily.

"Yes," Katherine said annoyedly. She pushed past me and walked through the doors leaving me and Draco standing there awkwardly. Without speaking, I swept from the Entrance Hall and Draco followed. Katherine was far ahead from walking so fast, as if she didn't want to be near us. I sighed grumpily and looked over my shoulder to make sure that Draco was still following.

When Draco and I reached the gates, Katherine looked annoyed. "What was the holdup?" she sneered.

I didn't answer, merely took her hand and Draco's and apparated. We arrived instantly at Malfoy Manor. Katherine was looking up at it with a mixture of love and loathing, Draco with what seemed fear. Katherine surged towards the Manor, this time with me hot on her heels. I reached the doors before her and opened them, holding them open for her. She sneered at me and said, "I think I can manage. Or is my ego too inflated?"

Determined to not let her get a rise out of me, I stood stock still, not releasing the door and not saying anything. She smirked and walked through the door, and I could hear her greet her mother.

I held the door open for Draco as well, but he took a while getting to it. When he did, he stopped and looked at me for a minute with a rather dead look in his eyes and then proceeded through the doors. I sighed and walked through the doors myself and found that there were only a few people there. There was Bellatrix with her stomach that was getting bigger and bigger, Narcissa who looked pale and worried, and the Dark Lord who lounged about, uninterested in all the activity.

Before long, we had all settled down by insistence of Narcissa and a couple of elves served dinner. It was a quiet affair; Draco brooded, Katherine sat in stony silence, Bellatrix was stuffing her face with food, and Narcissa was pushing food around on her plate, apparently too worried to eat. The Dark Lord spoke to me a few times, but not too much. The only time he ever wanted to talk to me was about Death Eater plans, and he didn't want to reveal anything around Katherine.

Narcissa ventured into the conversation waters as she asked, "Where are the girls this evening?"

"At the castle," Katherine responded harshly, stabbing her food with her fork.

"Oh," she said softly. She didn't try to make conversation again the entire evening.

After the many courses had been served, Bellatrix leaned back in her chair so her stomach was more visible.

"The both of you have not congratulated your auntie," Bellatrix said in a stern voice and without preamble. The statement was obviously directed to Katherine and Draco.

They muttered their congratulations and Bellatrix turned her narrowed eyes to Narcissa. "What foolish, ungrateful and horribly mannered children you have raised Narcissa."

She turned back to Katherine and said, "One would think that you would be happy for a brother."

Katherine raised her head from her hands and said, "Firstly, I already have a brother. Secondly, if I don't consider him," she gestured towards the Dark Lord, "to be my father, why should I consider your child to be my brother?"

Her poignant and insolent words hung in the air. Draco turned to her and gave her the smallest of nods, and she nodded slightly back. Narcissa looked as if she was about to split into the world's biggest grin at any moment and Bellatrix looked offended. However, the Dark Lord, suddenly interested in conversation, leaned forward and said, "You cannot deny who you are."

She snorted derisively and continued in her insolent manner, "I know who I am. Lucius and Narcissa's daughter, and Draco's sister. I have no other family."

She proudly lifted her chin and glared at him as if she dared him to challenge this statement.

His face twisted into an ugly grimace and I fleetingly thought that this was again an example of how she was way too confident for her own damned good. No sooner had I thought this, the Dark Lord pushed his chair back from the table, stood up and beckoned her to him. There seemed to be a tiny flicker of understanding behind her eyes, but she betrayed no emotion. I again thought a fleeting thought that I had taught her well in her Occlumency lessons.

She slowly got up and walked to him. He roughly grabbed her arm and wheeled her away from the table. Narcissa, far from looking gleeful now, looked fearful, all color drained from her face. Draco didn't seem to notice and Bellatrix looked impassive.

Did Katherine not know the fear she struck in our hearts when she did these things? And if she did, what a selfish woman to do the things she did.

When they were out of our sight, I heard a rather decisive thud, like something hitting the floor. I heard the Dark Lord laugh a cold, high, clear laugh and my heart was flooded with what felt like ice.

I think that I waited for a million years for the tiniest sign that she was still alive. Time seemed to have frozen. Narcissa sat there with her mouth in a perfect "o", completely flabbergasted and shocked. Bellatrix seemed to relish whatever was going on and Draco pulled out of his angsty reverie for a moment to ask, "What just happened?"

Narcissa burst into tears, believing Katherine dead. And because of her noisy, shuddering gasps, I almost didn't hear the low moan of unmistakable pain coming from the direction Katherine and the Dark Lord had walked off.

Blood seemed to flood back into my extremities and, more rudely than I usually would have, told Narcissa to shut up so I could hear more.

The second she stopped crying, she could hear it herself and collapsed back into her chair, weak with relief. After about ten straight minutes of screaming and incoherent yelling, there was a stretch of thirty minutes where nothing could be heard at all. I strained my ears for the slightest sound and couldn't hear a thing.

My blood was pounding through my veins. _What if he decided to kill her? What is he doing right now? Is he torturing her?_

It was hard to control my emotions, to not act as if I cared more than I should have, or even at all. I could feel Bellatrix's scrutinizing eyes on me the whole time Katherine was absent. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Katherine suddenly emerged from a door, white faced and hair completely wild. She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if she was cold and her dark, violet eyes darted about the room, like she didn't know where she was.

She found the door that led outside and made a beeline for it. I nodded my goodbyes to the others still sitting at the table (Draco was to stay with his mother for the holidays) and followed Katherine out the door.

She was a good ways across the lawn, her pale pink dress fluttering in the moonlight. She stopped abruptly and turned around, looking me dead in the face. I stopped in my tracks and she turned to the side, looking at the well-tended rose bushes that her mother prized. I walked on through the path leading to the gates. Like a frightened doe, if I got too close, Katherine would start walking away again, taking long strides as if to get away from me. I couldn't fathom why she was acting like that. When we reached the gates, Katherine finally turned around and talked to me.

"I was wrong," she said without preamble. "I did think I was invincible."

Tears started swimming in her eyes as she roughly pushed back the sleeve of her gown, revealing her forearm.

Etched in her arm were the words filthy, waste, shameful, whore and others. By just glancing, I knew she would have those scars forever.

"He tried to get into my mind, but I wouldn't let him," she whispered. It was a brave whisper, as if she was determined to get through the story without crying. So he started carving these words into my arms."

She pushed back her other sleeve so the same words could be seen on her other arm.

"He meant to get to me, but I wouldn't let him. Eventually he gave up and stopped."

My heart contracted and I felt cold. I had almost believed for a minute, like Katherine, that the Dark Lord wouldn't inflict too much damage on his only child. But we both had forgotten that she wasn't the only one now. I cleared my throat and said, "Let's get some essence of murtlap. It'll make your arms feel better."

She nodded and tried to flatten her wild hair. We passed through the gate and we apparated to the outside of the castle.

_Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update you guys! I had the worst writer's block, so I hope you'll forgive this horrible chapter. As always, comment on what you like, don't like, or what you want to see in the next couple chapters. Until next chapter! :)_


	80. Chapter Eighty

After my encounter with Voldemort, I was horribly shaken. I spent most of my Christmas break in my room doing homework and taking care of the twins.

He had pulled me aside and put me under the Cruciatus Curse for a long time; it was as if all of my nerve endings were on fire. I knew it was purely from adrenaline that I could move at all afterwards, that I could run from the house. Then he had tried Occlumency and got angry when I wouldn't let him in. He screamed at me, wanted to know what I was hiding, and asked me who had trained me in Occlumency. When he didn't get satisfactory answers, he carved words into my arms, saying that each and every one of them was true, calling me a whore and saying I was filthy and a waste. Finally, I told him Dumbledore had trained me, which was partially true since it was on Dumbledore's orders that I received lessons.

After I told him it was Dumbledore, he backed away in fear and left, throwing over his shoulder that I could leave since he was finished with me.

With my knees shaking, I got up from the floor and made it to the door. I was sweating and shivering. I threw up. I had never been through such a thing before. I now had a completely new respect for what Severus did every day. I had made it to the dining room and led the way outside so Severus and I could get back to the castle.

I didn't want to tell Severus what happened. I was ashamed and my pride was hurt. But seeing as my flesh was more hurt than my pride, the latter got shelved and I told Severus what happened. Instead of saying something like "I told you so" he just helped me, which made telling him everything so much easier.

He got me to his study and gave me some essence of murtlap, telling me to soak my arms in it for a while; the murtlap felt wonderful.

Severus seemed deeply disturbed about the whole thing. When we talked about it, he pointed out something I hadn't thought of before; that he may have been holding back since I was his only child, but now that Bellatrix's son was in the picture, he wasn't going to be so "nice".

I could see that moving forward from this point wasn't going to be easy. I was going to need to be careful with what I said and keep my temper in check, something I was going to have to work on without a doubt.

I was working on a hard essay and looked over at the twins taking their nap. They looked so peaceful and sweet. I felt a surge of affection and smiled. I knew that keeping them had been the best decision of my life; they were my life and I couldn't imagine living without them. I wondered briefly how it would have been if I really had been pregnant a couple months ago. Could I have been able to split my love for them with some other child?

I was worried about having more children. It would definitely be a trial; there was no contesting that. And they were quickly becoming my center, I focused all of the attention I could on them and lavished them with all of my love. And Severus thought they were the absolutely the most wonderful thing that had ever come into his life. I could tell already that they were clearly daddy's girls. Not to say they didn't love me, but if we were both in the room there was no point in even trying to get them to focus on anyone but their father. I wondered if either of us would be able to be as attentive or love another child as much as we did these two. It would be hard splitting attention and love between the twins and another child.

I wondered if Severus wanted more children. He had never hinted that he did, but he had also never hinted that he didn't. I didn't count the scare a couple months ago because we both knew that now was not the best time to have a baby. If ever again.

_We can cross that bridge when we get there, _my mind thought briskly, making me turn to more important matters, like my essay.

The second I dipped my quill back into the ink, my door opened and Severus was standing there.

"Mind if I come in?" he asked grinningly.

"Not at all, since you already bothered to open the door and everything," I said rather sarcastically.

He came in and sat down in a chair next to my desk. "What are you doing?" he inquired.

I frowned at my paper, trying to think of what I should write next. "Writing an essay about Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration."

He looked over my shoulder and said, "That one part right there is wrong, you can't create clothing. You can expand it, change its appearance or do anything else, but you cannot conjure it out of thin air."

I scratched this out with my quill and corrected it.

I turned to him and asked, "So, what have you been doing today?"

He leaned back in his chair and said, "Not much. I sorted my stores of potions ingredients again."

I smirked. "How can they get out of order when you have so little?" I taunted.

He rolled his eyes. "Admit it!" I cried. "You miss Potions!"

"I do not," he said defiantly. I smirked again because I knew that he was only saying that to prove something to himself. He wasn't fooling me.

"Gibbon died yesterday," he said contemptuously. Gibbon had been one of the Death Eaters. Of course he hadn't been as well known or as evil as someone like Bellatrix, but Severus held all true Death Eaters in contempt, no matter what their status in Voldemort's ring of followers was.

I went back to my essay. "How?"

Severus didn't say anything for a few minutes. I was so deeply immersed in my essay that I didn't notice. When I did, I looked up and said, "Severus?"

He was looking off into the distance, as if he was thinking hard about something. His brow was furrowed and his head had fallen into his chest slightly so that his hair hung thickly about his face, shielding me from it. When I said his name, his head jerked up and he said, "I was just thinking. About Gibbon."

I was confused. Severus had never been fond of the man, so what was there to contemplate?

"What about him?" I asked interestedly.

"The way he died was… Well, Nagini got to him. You can imagine from there."

I made a small, disgusted noise in my throat and massaged my neck. I couldn't imagine dying by a snake attacking me.

"So why were you thinking so hard about it?" I asked.

Severus considered this for a moment and said, "Well, it's not the first time he's done that to someone, and it won't be the last. I wonder…"

He seemed to be talking to himself at this point. "Could I create an antidote from her venom, just in case?"

I thought about this and said, "Yes. Arthur Weasley was bitten by Nagini and he survived. There is a way."

This seemed to make up his mind and he said, "I'm going to try and get some of her venom and make an antidote from it. It may prove useful."

I nodded my assent and went back to my essay. Gamp's Law…

I referenced a book on my desk and pondered on the last question from the prompt.

_Could there possibly be a sixth exception to Gamp's Law? And, if so, what should it be?_

Ok, there was love, life, money, food and precious metals. I pondered on this and decided that a sixth one could be added.

_There could be a possible sixth exception to Gamp's Law. Information could be an exception because if it were possible to conjure information out of thin air, there would be no need for school, would there? If we could charm ourselves into knowing everything by the time we can walk and talk, we would have no need for school or training. For example, is someone wanted to know where another person was, if information was available to conjure, then said person could be found easily. So this is a possible sixth exception to Gamp's Law._

Satisfied with my answer, I let the parchment dry, rolled it up, tied it, and placed it in my school bag. I took out another roll of parchment and reached for my Charms book, but was impeded by Severus's hand thumping down on it and holding it there tightly. He sat there with a disapproving look and I shot one right back at him. I knew he wanted me to stop studying, so instead of confirming this, I merely said, "I'm sure that if you had homework to be done, it got done right away, right?"

"Yes, but I didn't shut myself in my room for hours at a time, isolating myself," he said stiffly.

I raised a suspicious eyebrow but soon bowed to his wishes and put the books away.

"Good," he said approvingly. I sighed and absentmindedly rubbed my arms but instantly regretted it. The words stung dully on a regular basis, but when I did this, the stinging increased ten-fold. I immediately stopped and settled with folding my arms over my chest.

Severus saw this and stared at me intently, which made me uncomfortable. "I wish I could make the words go away," he said in a voice that was rather piteous for him.

I just sat there, not saying anything. Voldemort had used a spell that neither of us recognized and couldn't identify after referencing some books. We were completely stumped on how to get rid of the words and Severus seemed to be more agitated than I about it. I definitely didn't want to go around with the words "whore" and "filth" on my arms, but it wasn't anything that long sleeves wouldn't fix. And they would fade with time, something I was sure about.

"If I could just find a book," he mused.

"But we can't. Just drop it," I said harshly. More so than I usually would have. He was startled by this, but stopped talking about it. The rest of the afternoon was spent with the both of us speculating on what sorts of materials would go into such an antidote.

_Author's Note: Again, I had really bad writer's block. Hope you guys can forgive me for taking so long! As always, review what you liked and want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	81. Chapter Eightyone

"Your birthday is coming up soon," Katherine commented one day. It was the day before Christmas and we were sitting in her room together, spending time with the twins. I stopping dangling a toy in front of one of the twins and gave it up to her destructive grasp. She shrieked with delight as she stuffed it in her mouth. The girls both had nearly all their teeth, so whenever something went into their mouths, it usually didn't come out without looking like it had been chewed on a bit. They had also taken to sucking their thumbs as well, which left their hands covered in drool most of the time. I shook my head at this and turned to Katherine.

"How do you know when my birthday is?" I asked.

She grinned devilishly and said, "I can't tell you; they made me swear not to tell!"

"They? It was more than one person?" I asked horrified. My birthday was a horridly ridiculous time of year; like Christmas, I did not like to celebrate my birthday.

"Well, no. I was just using a word that didn't indicate gender so you couldn't find out who told me," she said mystically. She grinned again and then said, "Of course if you would rather I not make a fuss, I won't."

I think she understood that, like herself, I didn't like to make a big hoopla about birthdays. I nodded fervently and she went back to studying.

"Why don't you put down the book? You're supposed to be on break," I said.

Without looking up, she shook her head no and said, "I can't. I'm up to my eyes in homework that I haven't finished yet because of our lessons."

She didn't mean this to be accusing at all, but I still felt guilty. It was my fault that she was staying most of the night every night working on her Patronus and Occlumency.

I debated on whether or not I should make her put the book down. I made up my mind. I plucked the book out her hands and chucked it across the room with her frowning at me the entire time. "Go see your friends."

She almost seemed grateful that I was making her go and scurried off to presumably go see Pansy, one of the few people who had stayed at Hogwarts for the holiday. I sighed and took the toy that Posy was offering me, the one I had given to her a minute ago. As I suspected, it came out with some more bite marks on it. She grinned at me toothily and I couldn't help but smile.

_Author's Note: I had this one written up a few chapters ago, but didn't know where to put it, so I thought it would go good here. As always, review what you want to see, which would be helpful since I seem to be getting writer's block too often for comfort. LOL. Until next chapter! :)_


	82. Chapter Eightytwo

Christmas was rather uneventful, and the New Year was as well. The first day of the new term dawned bright and cold with a fun surprise.

I went down to breakfast and saw my friends sitting at the Gryffindor table. I made my way to them and sandwiched myself between Hermione and Ginny, the latter who seemed to be eating rather grumpily next to Dean.

"Did you hear?" Ron asked excitedly. "They've got a sign up for Apparation lessons in the common room. I signed up for you already."

"Awesome!" I said. I was looking forward to the lessons. There was something about disappearing and reappearing at will; it was so appealing to all of the sixth years. I supposed it was rather like a Muggle getting their driver's license on their sixteenth birthday.

I cheerfully helped myself to a healthy breakfast while Harry, who didn't like to speak to me, but obviously couldn't keep this to himself, told me about a revolting necklace Lavender had given Ron for Christmas that bore the words "My Sweetheart". I roared with laughter and Ron looked over at me sourly. I could see Hermione smirk out of the corner of my eye.

At this point, Lavender wedged herself between Ron and Harry and threw her arms around Ron's neck while screaming "Won-Won!" I almost threw up onto my plate and Hermione stormed from the Hall, angry at Ron and Lavender's PDA. I rolled my eyes and caught a glimpse of Harry who was immersed in an awkward conversation with Pavarti who had sat down along with Lavender.

I finished my meal in silence and went to classes. Hermione was sitting in Ancient Runes red-eyed. I sidled up to her and patted her back. She gave a little hiccough and a small smile.

"He's dumb. He doesn't know what he wants right now," I said bracingly. Instead of cheering her up, this seemed to inflame her.

"I've been waiting so long for him to figure what he wants! I'm tired of waiting and… and wondering if I'm good enough."

She said this last part so softly, I almost didn't hear it. I clucked impatiently and hugged her tightly, telling her, "Don't be stupid. You're absolutely wonderful, and I know Ron appreciates you for who you are, he just doesn't know it yet. He'll come around. And besides, you don't want him now with how immature he's being. Let Lavender deal with the immaturity stage!"

She laughed lightly at my joking manner and rubbed her eyes which had, throughout the course of my speech, become wet. "I know," she said.

For the rest of the day, she didn't speak to him.

_Author's Note: I think you should all be familiar with my message after chapters! LOL :)_


	83. Chapter Eightythree

Shortly after the return to term, Severus had his birthday with the twins' in quick succession. Hermione had wanted to throw a small party for them but I refused. I wasn't sure how Severus would feel about a birthday party being thrown for his children that he wouldn't be able to go to. All Harry did that day was glare at me with a look that said, "I know your secret."

I ignored him.

And then two weeks later was our anniversary. It was a Monday, so I didn't have much time to spend with him. I mostly spent the day wondering where the past year had gone. All of the fights and fun times, and watching the twins grow together. It seemed almost surreal that we had gone through so much in our first year of marriage. I only hoped that this next year wouldn't be so rough.

I was obviously wrong for hoping that.

I spent the evening with Severus that night. We had dinner together and had some alone time, time we hadn't had for a while seeing as we were always keeping eyes on the twins when we were together. It was a quiet affair since neither of us thought much of ghastly over-romantic celebrations; hell, neither of us had really ever said "I love you" throughout the course of our marriage. Some people might have thought it odd, but I don't think that we ever really _needed _to say it. We both knew it.

After our meal, Severus strode over to my chair and threw me over his shoulder. I giggled and shouted for him to put me down, but he merely swatted my behind as an answer as he walked from his office to his bedroom.

Settling down from the euphoria of realizing a year spent with my husband, I came to realize that Draco looked more and more ill every time I saw him, which, admittedly, wasn't much these days. He was very secretive and disappeared for hours at a time. Ron told me that Harry was obsessed with what Draco was doing, and was on the verge of breaking his policy of not talking to me and flat out asking if I knew what he was up to.

I told Ron that I had no idea and told him that he could intimate that to Harry. Whether he did and Harry didn't believe him or he didn't at all, I never knew. And sure as hell, a few days after my anniversary Harry cornered me before classes started and asked me point-blank what Draco was doing.

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore," I responded coolly, trying to diffuse the situation. Trying and badly failing.

Harry looked highly annoyed. "This is about a matter of life and death Katherine. I know he's trying to kill someone; that necklace was obviously planted by him!"

I rolled my eyes and lied, "I don't know what necklace you're talking about." Of course I knew what he was talking about. Severus hadn't for certain told me that it was him, but it was the fact that he didn't what made me so sure it was.

"Is he a Death Eater?" Harry asked, without easing into such a shocking question.

I kept my facial features clean as I answered, "No. And I would advise that you stop your pointless crusade for a vendetta against my brother. It is wearing."

And with that, I went to classes.

February came, and along with it, Apparition lessons. Some of the sixth years were apprehensive about it, and I could tell why. At our very first lesson, Susan Bones splinched herself by leaving behind a leg in her hoop. It was a rather horrific sight, and she had to be given a tonic for the nerves afterwards. Nothing else interesting happened for the entire lesson though. No one managed to Apparate, not even Hermione who I thought might be able to at least do it once by the end of our first lesson.

The month of February was a rather uninteresting one, with only Apparition lessons to punctuate the mundane schedule of classes.

But March was kicked off in a rather unusual way that made it more interesting than the entire month of February, even though the event was horribly frightening.

I was sitting in the common room with Hermione chatting away about nothing when Ginny ran in, accompanied with Harry, and told us that Ron had been poisoned. Hermione got up right away, and I could tell her heart was racing madly, and she was terribly flushed. I took her hand and slowly made my way up. Without looking at Harry, I said, "Lead the way."

As Ginny and Harry led the two of us to the Hospital Wing, I could hear Hermione quietly sniffling next to me, and I knew she was trying hard not to cry. My throat had become tightly constricted and I was in danger of crying a bit myself. But I knew that Hermione would fall to pieces if anyone started crying in front of her. She said nothing the whole way there, and when we got to the wing, she threw herself into the chair nearest Ron and took his hand, all the while still not saying anything. I moved around the hospital bed and patted her reassuringly on the back.

Ron was eerily drained of all color and looked to have some residual foam around his mouth. Hermione seemed to notice this too as she grabbed a spare cloth next to the bed and wiped his mouth with it. I looked over at Ginny and Harry who seemed to be smirking at Hermione's behavior.

"What happened Harry?" Ginny asked quietly. Hermione tensed up and I spoke up before he could answer.

"Perhaps Harry doesn't want to talk about it right now. Let him do it when he's not in so much shock."

And indeed Harry looked shocked, and I didn't know if it was from what I said or the events from earlier that morning. But he did look slightly grateful that he didn't have to tell anyone anything until he wanted or had to.

I was worried about Ron. I didn't know what happened and how he was still with us, but I suspected heavily it had something to do with Harry.

I thought of Ron as a brother, and if he died… I couldn't think of that.

Ginny was petrified, and so were Fred and George when they came in to see him.

"There we were in Hogsmeade, going to surprise him for his birthday and give him his gift in person, but he went and got himself poisoned," they said gloomily.

Hermione didn't say anything to this, but I saw her hands tighten around Ron's. And sometime in the course of the evening, no one is exactly sure what made him say it, he whispered in his sleep, "Er-my-knee."

Hermione inhaled rather sharply and I could see new tears forming in her eyes. But now instead of her mouth being in a grimace, it was a small smile.

Madame Pomfrey came to shoo us out, but we all shouted at her and protested to let us stay when Dumbledore swept into the Wing, accompanied by Severus and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Wordlessly, Hermione got up from her chair and Mrs. Weasley promptly threw herself on her son, sobbing with fear and anxiety. It was the most piteous sight I had ever seen. I thought about if it was one of my girls… That was another thing I couldn't allow myself to think about. But I couldn't shove the thought out of my mind and I knew I would have been acting the same way as Mrs. Weasley. I looked over at Severus, who seemed to be having the same thoughts.

"Most of our family seems to owe you their lives Harry," said Mr. Weasley in a constricted voice. Harry looked extremely uncomfortable at this proclamation, and Dumbledore said, "Severus, weren't you just about to tell Poppy about the poison you found in the drink?"

"What drink?" said Molly sharply, raising herself from the bed and sobering up immediately.

"The oak mead that Ron drank," Harry said automatically. "It was meant to be given to Dumbledore." Everyone turned to look at Harry, but Madame Pomfrey broke through the awkwardness by saying, "What poison was it Severus?"

"Baneberry. Whoever thought to use it was clever, since it is odorless, tasteless and colorless."

He looked rather tired as he said this, and I wondered if this had anything to do with Draco. I resolved to ask him about it later.

Hermione looked as if she were about to faint, but was determined not to. Her face was stark white and her lips were pressed tightly together in a hard line that was so unlike her. But even though her mouth looked harsh at the moment, I could see that her bottom lip was trembling slightly. I thought, after his family, Hermione would have been the most devastated if Ron had died.

Soon everyone but the family was ushered out, which included me, Harry, Hermione, and Severus, Dumbledore giving the latter instructions to get us all back to our rooms safely. Severus didn't seem too keen on having to escort us, but did so dutifully. Even if he did abuse Harry on the way there.

"So Potter," he drawled. "You must feel like a real hero, don't you? Saving Weasley's life must have your ego swelled enormously."

I gave props to Harry for keeping his mouth shut and not saying anything against Severus. Hermione was lost in her own world, one where she could worry about Ron without paying attention to anything else.

"How remarkably like your father you are, acting the hero. Are you hoping that people will hear of your extraordinary story and worship you even further?"

Severus seemed to relish tormenting Harry and I tugged on his sleeve to tell him to stop. But he kept on going.

"It must be so grand to be the Chosen One," Severus sneered.

Harry turned red in the face. "Yeah, it is pretty great to be the Chosen One," Harry retorted. I wanted to bury my face in my hands.

Severus clucked and said, "Arrogance won't do Potter. 10 points for your cheek."

This time it wasn't only Harry who shot Severus a filthy look. I couldn't fathom why Severus would choose now, of all times, to goad Harry more than he usually did on a regular basis. He seemed to be going the extra mile today for whatever reason.

"Don't give me that look Malfoy," Severus said severely.

I snorted in derision and said, "Sorry, _Professor._ I didn't mean to overstep my bounds."

Harry looked at us with pure loathing and disgust. And we were only on the third floor. Four more to go until Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione still didn't seem to notice any verbal altercations happening between the three of us; she was stuck back in the Hospital Wing with Ron.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me," Severus snapped. His eyebrows had contracted and he was glaring at me.

"Excuse me, _Professor, _but I believe that I am an adult and can do whatever the hell I please!"

At this Severus stopped completely in his tracks, and Harry and I did the same. Hermione just kept walking and walking until she was out of sight. We all knew she would make it back to Gryffindor Tower without noticing our absence.

"How dare you speak to me that way?" Severus snarled.

I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "How dare you speak to Harry in the manner you just did? What did he do to deserve the things you said? Your verbal attack was completely unprovoked. How petty of you."

This infuriated Severus who firmly whispered, "We will discuss this later."

"I want to discuss it now," I said rather loudly. Harry seemed quite bewildered at the turn of events. And so was I. I wasn't exactly sure how we had gotten there, but there seemed to be hanging over all of our heads some hidden piece of information that Severus knew and was setting him on edge, but that he would never in a million years tell us.

"Trouble in paradise?" Harry asked insolently into the silence.

"Shut up!" Severus and I exclaimed at the same time.

Severus sneered and said, "I thought we already settled this about Potter. Sticking up for him doesn't help your case."

I was inflamed. I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was talking about one explosive fight we had had where he accused me of still having feelings for Harry. I wasn't about to defend myself when he thought so little of me.

"Well, if you think so, then stop brooding about it. Do something about it. Meanwhile, I'll just sit here and accuse you of having-"

He clapped a hand over my mouth, and at first I was extremely offended. I was about to remove his hand and tell him off when he jerked his head in Harry's direction. My eyes widened to the size of Galleons as I suddenly remembered where I was and who was there. I couldn't say anything about Lily in front of Harry. That would have been catastrophic.

"We'll talk about this later," Severus said slowly. "Please go back to your room as I escort Mr. Potter to Gryffindor Tower."

I glared at him, but eventually turned on my heel and huffed in the other direction. He infuriated me so. I couldn't fathom why he was being so vindictive, and for no apparent reason.

I thought of how I was going to address him when he came to my room, which I knew he would. I thought it best to head him off early by catching him off guard. No sooner had I come to this conclusion did I hear someone knock on my door.

"Come in," I called. He came in through the doorway slowly, and I said immediately after he closed the door, "Was Draco behind the poisoning? Is he trying to kill Dumbledore, is that his mission?"

Severus seemed quite taken aback at so many questions and didn't answer for a while. He sat down at my writing desk as I stood over him, arms crossed over my chest, waiting for answers.

After a minute or two, he asked, "How did you come to such conclusions?"

"I've known for a while that Draco has a mission. And after the Katie Bell incident, I was sure that it was to kill someone. After tonight, I'm sure it's Dumbledore, since the mead was meant for him."

I pulled up a chair beside him as he put his head in his hands.

"Is that why you were so on edge tonight?" I asked quietly.

His head shot up out of his hands and he got up from his chair, beginning to pace the room. "I was not on edge tonight," he said through gritted teeth. I decided that instead of trying to coax it out of him like I usually did, I was going to wait this one out. He would tell me in due time. And then we could focus on his snide comment earlier.

After a few minutes of pacing, he stopped, turned directly towards me, and said, "You are to not repeat anything you know to anyone, do you understand? Dumbledore knows Draco is trying to kill him, and no one," he said again, "is to know. Especially Potter."

I rolled my eyes. As if I didn't know not to tell Harry. I was intrigued though…

"And you're letting him do it?" I asked in a rather scandalized tone. "I… Dumbledore isn't stopping him?"

"Dumbledore is dying," Severus said harshly.

I yelped in surprise and clapped a hand to my mouth. "What?" I exclaimed through my fingers.

"His hand. It has a curse in it that he contracted over the summer. He only has a few months left, if Draco does not kill him."

There was something in his tone that led me to believe that he wasn't telling me everything. So I asked him, "What are you not telling me?"

He went rigid and said, "Absolutely nothing. I've told you everything."

Deciding it was useless to try and glean anymore information from him, I said in a stern voice, "About your earlier comment-"

Severus interrupted me and said, "I didn't mean it."

I threw him a disbelieving look and said, "Of course you didn't. You never do. But you always say things like that. Why do you have to be so petty? Are you going to hold this over my head for the rest of my life?"

He had sat down, and his head was bowed now, like he was ashamed. I knew I had gotten to him, but I wondered for how long until he did or said something just like that again.

I sighed. This was the sucky part about marriage. The jealous accusations and petty arguments over past love interests. I knew I was over Harry, but I wasn't sure he was over Lily. And then it suddenly struck me that I could never be completely sure, and that I would have to trust him, and vice versa. He could never be completely sure that I was over Harry, all he could do was trust me. I decided to try and intimate this new revelation into words.

"Severus, I… I'm never going to know for sure that you're completely over Lily Potter, just like you'll never be completely sure I'm over Harry. But I have to trust that you are, and you'll have to trust me. Or… or we'll fall apart at the seams," I said in a hesitant voice.

Without looking up at me, he nodded his head in consent. He sighed, kissed me on the cheek, and left my room. I sighed and flopped onto my bed.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! Remember to comment on what you like/ don't like/ want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	84. Chapter Eightyfour

_There I was, standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. I didn't know what my heart wanted… Did I? I walked closer to it and an image formed. It became clearer and clearer until I could see my family smiling out at me. There was Katherine, standing there, smiling serenely and holding the hands of the twins on either side. Posy and Melanie were laughing and smiling toothily at me. I smiled back at them._

"_We made it Severus," Katherine whispered proudly. "We made it through this war. We're going to be alright."_

_She waved at me and the twins started doing so as well. I waved back; it seemed the natural thing to do._

_But the twins started walking away, all on their own. They walked back into the mirror and disappeared. I called for them, I was worried, but Katherine merely smiled in her odd, serene way and said, "Do not worry. They are in good hands."_

_I couldn't help but believe her._

_The first thing that started to change was her eyes. They lightened from their dark violet to a deep emerald. Then her hair started growing and turned a bright, fiery red, straightening out as it went. She grew taller, and her curves were more defined. Her cheekbones lowered and her neck became longer. Before I knew it, Lily Evans was standing in the mirror._

_She smiled at me in the same serene way Katherine did. It was almost the same smile; but Lily's lips were pale pink while Katherine's were plum. She reached out and put her hand against the mirror and I felt compelled to do the same._

_The twins walked back into the mirror, and they underwent the same transformation as Katherine. Soon they looked like miniature Lilys._

"_Isn't this what you want Sev?" Lily whispered. "To be with me, to have my babies? I could have given you so many children; we could have been so happy."_

_I started to cry. Here Lily was, standing in front of me, telling me about the life we could have had if she had never died. But one thought sobered me; Lily chose Potter._

_I stopped crying and looked her dead in the face and said, "But you didn't choose me. And Katherine did. She- loves me for who I am, and still loves me after knowing horrible things about me. You were repulsed by me."_

_I paused. "And that's why I have to let you go. What point is there in wasting my love on someone who never wanted me when I could give it to someone who does?"_

_Lily stood there through my entire speech, looking at me impassively. When I was done, she looked at me and said, "Goodbye Sev."_

_She began the transformation back into Katherine, and the twins went back to normal. When my wife was standing in front of me, violet eyes and all, she was beaming._

"_I knew you would choose right," she said. "I knew you would understand."_

_I nodded. "I do now."_

_Still smiling, she stepped out of the mirror and kissed me, standing on her toes to do so._

When we broke apart, I was sitting up in my bed, covered in a cold sweat. I pushed my hair off my forehead and shoved the covers off me. I put my head in my hands.

_Did I really need a dream to come to that conclusion?_

A little voice responded in my head.

_Yes, because you're too thick to think it consciously._

I laughed into my hands and fell back down into the sheets.

Thank God that was all settled. I would just have to tell Katherine about my dream in the morning.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always comment with what you liked/ didn't like/ want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	85. Chapter Eightyfive

"So You-Know-Who applied for the DADA job? Weird."

"Yeah," Harry said. "Dumbledore thinks he wanted to recruit students into the Death Eaters."

I sat back in my chair in the common room and wondered about this. Katherine was sitting next to Hermione, on the floor, and I could tell she was listening intently. She didn't make many contributions to conversations on Harry's lessons with Dumbledore, but I knew she was always listening to find out more about the man who gave her life.

But this time she didn't hold back.

"What use would he have of children fresh out of school though? Surely seventeen year olds aren't equipped enough to fight Aurors at such a young age. At least, not all of them."

She inclined her head to all three of us, seeing we had fought Death Eaters last year.

"But that's the thing. He wanted to train them from a young age so he could use them when they turned seventeen," Harry mused.

Katherine shrugged and rolled her sleeves up her arms because her robes were starting to trail into her ink. I caught something out of the corner of my eye and looked at her forearms.

"Katherine, what's that?" I asked.

She looked up at me absentmindedly and asked, "What Ron?"

I lowered my voice and asked again, "What's that? On your arms?"

She seemed to realize herself and pushed her sleeves back down. It looked like she had been horribly cut a thousand times over. "It's nothing," she said smoothly. But I could see a trace of apprehension in her eyes.

"Hermione, get her arm and see what's on it," I said.

"Oh alright, there's no need to fuss about it!" she snapped. She shook back her robes revealing her arms and I could see I was right. Hermione gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth. Harry looked shocked. I spoke first.

"Where did you get that?"

She sighed and said, "Over the Christmas break. Voldemort and I had a, um, disagreement. It was nothing."

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "Obviously."

Hermione took her hand from her mouth and said, "But these look fresh, this couldn't have been Christmas."

She looked uneasy as she answered. "That, um, is part of the spell. It cuts into my arm again every two weeks. I don't know how to fix it."

"Have you tried asking a teacher for help?" Harry asked.

She looked at him silently for a minute. They seemed to be doing some sort of mental dance where they were reading each other's minds. Finally Katherine said, "No. I haven't asked anyone."

Hermione said firmly, "Katy, you've got to tell. This could turn into permanent scarring if-"

"Don't you think I know that?" Katherine hissed. "It's just… much more complicated than you think it is."

Hermione seemed hurt by this and Katherine stood up. "I've only just remembered that I told Dobby I would be back ten minutes ago." She made her way to the portrait without another look back. I looked at Hermione who looked absolutely dumbfounded and at Harry who seemed like he knew more than he was letting on.

"What do you think that was all about?" I asked to no one in particular.

Harry didn't say anything but Hermione replied with something that had nothing to do with what I had asked.

"I think she has someone. She- didn't seem too thrilled about going with Blaise to Slughorn's party, even though they got along nicely. And she told me about him trying to kiss her and how she was disgusted but, knowing her, I don't think that she would have been too bothered if she didn't have a… boyfriend. Of some sort."

"And she's just so secretive," Harry chimed in. "If she would only-"

Harry stopped speaking and looked out the window, tugging on Hermione's sleeve. I looked as well and I could see Katherine's owl, Euripides outside. Hermione rushed to the window and opened it, allowing the bird to swoop inside. Everyone in the common room oohed and ahhed over the handsome owl and, seeing a scroll tied to his leg, Hermione told him, "I'm going to give this to Katherine."

The owl gave a sort of nod that meant he understood and stuck out his leg so Hermione could untie the letter from it. When she was finished, the owl hooted and flew off through the window. Harry latched it closed and everyone went back to their normal activities.

"I wonder what it says," I said aloud.

"God knows it must have been important if it didn't come at breakfast time," Hermione mused.

"We should go give it to her," Harry said. Hermione and I nodded our agreement and we set off for the third floor. When we reached her door, I knocked and waited for her, "come in!"

I opened the door and she was standing with her hands in either of her daughter's hands, trying to get them to walk. Posy fell on her bottom and started crying loudly, and at hearing her twin cry, so did Melanie.

"Oh, hush, you're alright," she said in a half-soothing, half-reproving tone. She straightened up, flipped the hair out of her face, and asked, "What's up you guys?"

"A letter came for you. Euripides came tapping on the window," Hermione said while holding out the scroll. Katherine frowned and said, "I don't see what it could be about, but it must be urgent."

She took the scroll and sat down on her bed. Hermione and I each took one of the twins and tickled them so that they were giggling and howling with laughter. Katherine read over the letter very quickly; it must not have been long. And she read it again and again, her eyes zooming over the parchment. Finally, apparently unable to stand it any longer, Harry asked loudly, "Since you've memorized it, mind telling us what's happened?"

Katherine narrowed her eyes at him and I could tell she was thinking exactly what I was thinking; Harry couldn't keep his nose out of anyone's business.

"Well, it says that the dress robes I ordered won't be delivered for a while since they're on back order. I read it several times because I couldn't believe it, this is the third time they've done this!"

I nodded. This seemed like something plausible, but Harry wasn't buying it.

"Really?" he scoffed. "Then hand it over."

Katherine's eyes narrowed even further so her eyes here merely slits. Harry back up in what I could only assume was fear; he had often described Voldemort's eyes to be nothing but slits.

"Can't my word be good enough for you Harry James Potter?" she asked dangerously. She rolled the parchment back up and tapped it with her wand so it would seal, undoubtedly a charm that would enable no one but her to open it back up.

"Hermione, Ron, I have something to do right now. I'm leaving the room, but you're welcome to stay," Katherine said warmly to the two of us, not even addressing Harry or acknowledging he was there. "But if you do leave, call for Dobby so the girls won't be left alone."

Hermione nodded and Katherine said, "Excuse me." She swept from the room gracefully, giving Harry one last glare. Hermione shrugged and said, "I guess we should be getting along now. I'll just-"

"Wait!" Harry said, cutting her off. "How many times are we here in her room, alone? How many chances like this do we get?"

"Chances like what Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Chances to find out what's going on with her!" Harry said impatiently. "And, I bet you she has something in here about her brother being a Death Eater."

Harry started rifling through her desk, looking for whatever. "Harry, this is a serious violation of her trust!" Hermione moaned, scandalized.

"I don't have her trust, so I'm not violating it," Harry rationalized, never stopping looking through her papers. "Come on, don't you guys want to know what's been going on with her? Don't you want to know the circumstances of the twin's birth? Who the father is, what kind of relationship she has with Voldemort? It could all probably be found here! All we have to do is dig a little…"

He kept on rifling through the papers, and I was intrigued. I wanted answers as well, but I was a little torn. Maybe a little peak wouldn't be so bad…

"Harry, we shouldn't go snooping!" Hermione exclaimed. I opened one of the desk drawers and saw a bundle of letters, dating back to our first year.

"We've snooped before Hermione," Harry said dismissively.

"Yes, but not like this!" she said, and attempted to pull Harry away from the desk. He planted his feet firmly in the ground, not allowing her to move him anywhere.

I looked through some letters from this year and saw one that was from her mother. I opened it and started reading.

_Katherine,_

_I'm happy you've finally written me; I was getting worried! I'm glad to hear that things have been going fine for you at school this year._

_The Dark Lord is still extremely angry at your argument over the summer about the girls. I would advise not to cross him again._

_Your father has been taken away to Azkaban. It has been rather dreary around the house since, and I cannot accept th_e _fact that his soul is being sucked on by those horrid Dementors. I shudder every time I think about it._

_Your Auntie Bellatrix is doing fine so far. She is not pleased that you have not written her for a while. I know you don't consider her to be your aunt, but please try. She is my sister, and I don't want things to be strained between my only daughter and my only sister, especially since your Auntie is carrying your half-brother._

_I'm glad to hear that the twins are doing well and that your husband-_

Hermione snatched the letter from my hands and said through gritted teeth, "We. Should. Not. Be. Reading. This."

She closed the letter back up and bundled it back up with the other ones. She shoved the drawer closed and forced Harry and I from the room, Harry protesting the entire way. I was silent though on the way back to Gryffindor Tower. I considered telling Hermione and Harry everything I had read, and then I considered not telling them. Thinking back on it, it was a violation of her trust, and it would be an even bigger violation if I told them. But I decided that if Katherine was married and Voldemort was having more kids, then we needed to talk about it.

Hermione was still storming at the two of us when we reached the portrait hole.

"Diligrout," Harry said darkly. We climbed through the portrait hole to find that everyone had gone to bed already. We looked at the clock which said eleven.

"Goodnight," Hermione said abruptly, stalking towards her door.

"Wait!" I called out. She stopped in her tracks and turned around expectantly.

"We need to talk about something," I said nervously. I wasn't sure how I was going to start this…

"In that letter I read, I found some, ah, interesting things," I began. Hermione cut me off, saying, "No. We're not going to talk about it."

She turned on her heel and made towards her room. I ran across the room and stopped her. "No, hold on-" I panted. "Katherine is- married!"

Hermione froze and stood stock still.

"She's what?" she whispered.

"Married," I breathed. I looked over at Harry who didn't seem too surprised at this new revelation.

"But to whom?" Hermione asked, horrified. She was fiddling with her hands, as if she was worried. Harry said testily, "Obviously you stopped him before he could read further."

I nodded and Hermione sank into the closest chair. "But, I- she tells me everything!"

"Obviously not Hermione," Harry said in a rather aggressive tone. "This is what I've been saying all along, she can't be trusted! She's secretive and manipulating!"

I didn't like the tone in Harry's voice. Apparently, neither did Hermione.

"But Harry, you've never said that. And even if you did, you've only said it sometime in the past few months, when you two had your falling out. I think you're just being- vindictive."

Harry's face turned to stone and he looked like he would have liked nothing more than to throw something. I intervened by saying, "I think we have some more pressing matters on our hands right now."

Hermione and Harry looked at me like I was crazy, as if there was nothing more important than Katherine's betrayal.

I cleared my throat and said, "Bellatrix, Katherine's aunt, is pregnant with Katherine's half-brother. I can only assume that means that Voldemort has a son on the way."

Hermione gave a soft scream and Harry looked positively defeated, but then perked back up.

"We need to tell Dumbledore. Now."

Hermione protested. "Harry, we can't leave the dormitory right now, we'll be caught and have detention!"

Harry, whose arm had been taken captive by Hermione, jerked it from her and said, "This is much more important! Besides, we can take the cloak."

Hermione looked torn and then said, "Ok, but we need to be quick about it."

Harry nodded and ran upstairs to get the invisibility cloak. I looked at Hermione who looked extremely distressed about the entire thing. Harry rushed back down the stairs and threw the cloak over all three of us. He pushed the portrait open and the Fat Lady woke up.

"Who's there?" she barked. We moved along silently.

We hurried as fast as we could to Dumbledore's office where Harry said the password (Acid Pops) and leapt up the stone steps to Dumbledore's office. Hermione and I resignedly followed. Harry banged on the door to his office and we could hear a faint "come in" from inside. Harry opened the door and barreled in, Hermione and I following.

Katherine was standing there with Snape, and both looked extremely shocked to see us. Hermione gave a gasp/moan of surprise and dread. I knew that she, like me, was dreading the moment when we would have to tell Dumbledore why we were in the office and admit in front of Katherine that we looked through her personal things. My insides squirmed with guilt for the second time.

"Yes?" Dumbledore inquired over his glasses with his fingers glued together and his elbows resting on his desk.

"I must be going Headmaster," Snape said. He swept from the room and Harry almost looked as if he was going to say something to him but decided against it. Snape closed the door behind him and Katherine looked around uneasily.

"I have to go as well," she said. She started to move from the room, but Harry became emboldened and said, "No, you need to be here for this."

Katherine stood rooted to the floor and crossed her arms over her chest. It was one of the few times she decided not to give a snarky remark, but I could tell she was going to leave immediately if she heard something she didn't like.

"We found something," Harry started. He was messing with his sleeves, an indication that he was nervous. I knew he was now wishing that he had let Katherine leave.

But he continued, his voice getting stronger by the second, "We found something that said that Bellatrix Lestrange was having Lord Voldemort's baby!"

Katherine clapped a hand to her mouth and then instantly removed it to ask, "How did you know that?"

Harry sneered at her and said, "It's really none of your business is it?"

Hermione, who was really uncomfortable about lying to Katherine, yelled out, "Katherine, we looked through your things for answers, we're sorry! But why didn't you tell us you were married?"

Katherine stood stock still, and her eyes widened to the size of galleons. Her face turned white and she looked to Dumbledore who was watching the scene unfold with faint amusement. Harry looked triumphant for whatever reason and I felt sick to my stomach.

"Do you know who I'm married to?" Katherine asked in a strangled voice.

"No, but Katherine I thought we told each other everything!" Hermione said in a hurt voice. But Katherine only heard one thing.

"Good. You don't need to know who I'm married to. And I don't know WHO was the ring leader in rifling through my personal items, but believe me, I'm going to have enchantments put on my door so none of you can come in my room again!"

Hermione looked to be nearly in tears. I felt I had to say something in her defense.

"Katherine, Hermione was trying to stop me and Harry, she didn't do anything, promise-"

"I don't care! You invaded my privacy!" Katherine said, absolutely incensed. There was no calming her down at this point.

"I bet it was Harry, he can never keep his nose out of anyone's business! Stay the fuck out of my life and stop snooping around!"

"Silence!" Dumbledore thundered. Apparently Katherine using a foul word made him decide to mediate.

"Ms. Malfoy, you will NOT have enchantments put on your door. It is against school policy. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, I am astonished at all of you for invading your fellow student's and friend's privacy. A detention is in line I think for all three of you. And you too Miss Malfoy for using foul language. All of you will serve with Professor Snape."

Harry looked angry and burst, "What about Bellatrix Lestrange? And doesn't it seem fishy that Kathrine never told-"

Dumbledore put a hand up to stop him and said, "As a matter of fact, the minute Miss Malfoy found out, she sent me an owl. And so did Professor Snape when he found out. In fact, Bellatrix had her baby just a couple of hours ago."

Harry stood there, completely at a loss for words. For once. Hermione looked shocked and I was feeling queasy. I don't know how I felt about another little You-Know-Who running about.

"You may go," Dumbledore said, waving a dismissing hand. Katherine walked across the room and pulled the door open before any of us could gather our wits about us. She walked through the door and Hermione and I ran after her. Harry lagged back.

Hermione caught up to her first and both were crying.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's too complicated!"

"Is it the same man who raped you?"

Katherine nodded her head in reply.

I was sick to my stomach again. Katherine was like my baby sister, and for her to be married to a Death Eater who had raped her and caused her so much emotional turmoil was almost unbearable. And then she had had his children. No wonder Katherine had been so secretive and looked ill sometimes.

"We love you Katy," Hermione said consolingly, but Katherine wrenched herself from Hermione's grasp and speed-walked to the staircases to get to her room.

Hermione stood there stunned for a minute and then started crying quietly.

"I've lost my best friend's trust," she choked out.

I went to hug her and escorted her back to Gryffindor Tower.

_Author's Note: I thought that if they went any longer not knowing Katherine was married, it would have been laughable. But they'll find out who soon enough. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed! As always review what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	86. Chapter Eightysix

It was tense the morning after Harry had led Hermione and Ron into my things, to show them that I was married. He didn't dare reveal who, oh, it was clever, lead them to it innocently but not reveal everything so it would look accidental.

That night we had our joint detention and Hermione looked extremely uncomfortable being there. Harry was mutinous and Ron looked apologetic.

"Since the Headmaster wishes to be lenient on the four of you, I can do no more than give you lines," Severus sneered that night at detention.

"The three of you,' he said, pointing at Harry, Ron and Hermione, "will write, 'I am not a niffler and I shall not act as such' 200 times."

"Miss Malfoy, you will write, 'I will do well to remember that the use of swear words is foul and crude' 200 times."

We sat there, Harry still looking mutinous as ever, Ron looking as if he would like to disappear and Hermione was on the verge of tears.

"Well?" he snapped. "Get to it!"

We all reached down and got quills and ink out of our bags. We started on our lines and it was quiet save for the scratching of quills on parchment. I was sitting next to Hermione who was sitting next to Harry who was sitting next to Ron. About twenty minutes into the assignment, Hermione slipped a piece of parchment over that read:

_Who are you married to?_

I frowned. Obviously Hermione was breaking her rule of not asking me things about sensitive subjects. I wrote back:

_I'm not telling you, not for all of King Midas' gold. And only because I care about you. It wouldn't benefit anyone, it would just end up wreaking havoc. The three of you knowing that I'm married at all has caused enough damage already; any more would be catastrophic._

I passed back the piece of parchment and she read it with a rather dejected look on her face. No sooner had she finished it, did Severus snatch it out of her hands.

"Passing notes in detention are we?" he sneered. "You two seem to be above the rules of this school."

Hermione didn't say anything, but looked down into her lap at her hands, just waiting it out.

Severus straightened the piece of parchment with a flourish and said, "Let's just see what the two of you have written."

He read the entire note, never faltering and never showing surprise. He turned to me after it was over and said, "So Miss Malfoy, it would seem you have a different surname now that is causing much trouble."

He crumpled up the parchment in his hand and said, "Once again, it falls to me to keep the four of you apart so your tangled personal lives don't affect your work. Malfoy! Front row. Potter, second row, other side of the room, Granger back row and Weasley third row. Move!"

We all obliged, Harry looking like he would love nothing more than to hit Severus and Hermione looking as if she would burst into tears at any point. I rolled my eyes and Severus pretended he didn't notice. Ron piped up though.

"I thought you would have known professor, seeing as you're in with the Death Eaters," Ron said insolently. I wanted to die.

"Yes Mr. Weasley, I did know, but I was under the impression that it was to be kept quiet. Back to your lines."

"Then surely, you must know who it is," Harry said loudly.

Severus smiled a nasty smile and said, "Potter, how would you like another detention with me?"

"I'd say that's bullocks," Harry replied without skipping a beat.

"There you go. You get to spend tomorrow night doing detention with me," Severus sneered.

I groaned and put my head in my hands. This was ridiculous and getting out of hand. I got up, put my quill and ink in my bag and said, "I'm leaving."

"You cannot leave Miss Malfoy, you have lines to do," Severus said lazily. I shrugged and said, "I don't want to sit here and listen to this drivel."

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and said, "This detention is mandatory."

I mirrored him and said, "I have better things to do."

I walked to the door and he yelled after me, "If you leave now, you'll have two extra detentions on top of this one you'll have to make up!"

"Fine with me!" I called over my shoulder.

_Author's Note: Writer's block again! But I hope you guys liked it anyways. As always, review what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	87. Chapter Eightyseven

I cradled Alexander in my arms, and my sister demanded him back.

_What a beautiful baby, _I thought as Bellatrix rocked her son to sleep. The Dark Lord had been very pleased when his son had come and had everyone celebrate with several bottles of wine, firewhiskey and sherry.

_But she doesn't love her son, _my mind thought again. _And neither does the Dark Lord._

What a pitiful child to grow up with such unloving parents. Both only cherished the boy because of the power he brought them. He brought security in the Dark Lord's inner circle to Bellatrix and when the Dark Lord began his regime the boy would be his successor.

I shuddered for the fate of that child.

I was fast losing faith in the cause. It seemed like it would implode on us soon, and it would take all of us down to Azkaban or death.

I was afraid for Draco as well. He wasn't succeeding in his plan, and I was worried sick that he would die trying. If Dumbledore defended himself at all, my son had no chance of completing his mission.

Despite the circumstances, seventeen-year-old Katherine seemed to actually be flourishing as compared to sixteen-year-old Katherine. She seemed content with her role as mother to her daughters and didn't seem to mind Severus so much anymore. Oh, they would never fall in love, I was sure of that. And I knew that my daughter would never obtain a divorce because it would go against her ideals, but she seemed to be getting along with him at least. I was only upset that Katherine couldn't have married a man that she truly loved.

I was brought from my musings as the door to my sister's room opened and the Dark Lord swept in. I flinched, something he thankfully did not see. He came to Bella's bedside and asked, "How is he doing?"

"No different than yesterday," she said with a voice I could have sworn I heard contempt in. He nodded and then left as soon as he came. Bella looked sorry to see him go. She looked down at her son and looked back to me.

"I am tired of holding him Cissy. Do you mind?"

I didn't mind at all, but this was just going to subtly reinforce the feeling of unwant for her son. I took him from her after a split-second of intense deliberation and cradled him. He was such a handsome young boy; he looked a lot like Katherine when she was born.

Holding Alexander took me back to the day Katherine was born. I was two months pregnant with Draco, and I was penning a letter to my sister. There was a knock on my door and I called for Dobby to answer it. I got up, smoothed my dress, and walked into the entrance hall.

There the Dark Lord stood, holding a small bundle in his arms.

"My_ daughter_ has been born," he sneered with contempt. He glared at the tiny bundle as if it were her fault for being born a girl. "I have murdered that lying, cheating woman and I have no time for a child myself. You and Lucius are to take this child and raise it according to my rules. Maybe something good can come of her, even if she is only a girl."

At this point, Lucius had walked into the room and was looking at the small child curiously. The Dark Lord turned to him and said, "Raise this child right, on our ideals. It is essential that she be in the same mindset as us."

Impertinently, Lucius had asked, "Why can't you raise the child yourself?"

The Dark Lord cast a nasty look on him and said, "Do you really think, Lucius, that the Dark Lord of the New World has time to spare trifling with a mere child, much less a female? No, I have better things to do."

And on that note he left. He never saw his child again. I was frightened about raising Katherine, freaking out about raising the two children at once, wondering how Katherine would feel with Draco being thrust into the picture so soon. But she adored him and they got along well.

But still there was that weird feeling between them, that feeling that had him always keep her at arm's length as they grew up. And I knew it was him doing it, because she had never once acted as if she didn't like him. She practically revered him until they went to school and went their separate ways. They became their own people, and Katherine started to grow more independent in thought. She could now see flaws in Draco's character and acted accordingly when she saw them. And after the night the Dark Lord came back, it was never the same between the two of them. And I didn't think it would ever be. There was too much between them to have it ever really be like it was before.

I sighed and placed Alexander in his cradle and wondered if I would have to play the role of mother to a second child of the Dark Lord's.

_Author's Note: I'm getting pretty bored, so I think in the next chapter or two we're going to have Harry almost kill Draco with the Sectumsempra curse. As always, review what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	88. Chapter Eightyeight

I was walking along the corridors one day in early May when Moaning Myrtle came screaming down the hallway. I was surprised to see her out her of natural habitat. She zoomed right up to me and wailed in my face, "Professor Snape! Murder in the bathroom! Murder!"

My blood ran cold. Who could have murdered someone? I thought of Draco's mission. No. That wouldn't be it. I thought of Katherine and I ran after Moaning Myrtle, hoping against hope it wasn't her. When Myrtle stopped, I was confused to see that it was a boy's bathroom. I paused for the smallest of moments and she screamed, "What are you waiting for?"

"Don't yell at me! Go back to your toilet Myrtle!" I snapped. Myrtle wailed and zoomed back to her toilet as I suggested. I walked swiftly into the bathroom and couldn't believe what I saw.

Draco was lying on the tiled washroom floor, bleeding copiously and wheezing, trying to catch his breath. He was deathly pale and Potter was standing over him, gaping in shock. I shoved Potter out of the way and knelt on the floor next to Draco. I knew if I didn't act soon, he could die. I knew exactly what this curse did. I had used it before. I had invented it.

"Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur…" I muttered under my breath, waving my wand over his wounds, willing them to heal. I had only one goal in mind, to help Draco, to heal him. I saw the skin where it had been cut stitching itself back together, the blood flow becoming less and less. When I was satisfied with how the gashes had healed, I pulled Draco into my arms. I noted how different he and Katherine weighed. I spoke to him, clearly and loudly to make sure he heard me.

"I'm taking you to the hospital wing. There may be a little scarring, but maybe we can avoid even that."

I turned to Potter and gave him my most dangerous glare, one that was suffused with fury and hate. "Stay here Potter," I said in a clearly warning voice. He gave no indication of understanding, but I couldn't wait for him to give one. I swept from the blood and water-soaked bathroom holding Draco in my arms and carrying him to the hospital wing.

Students gaped as we passed and I snapped at them to resume what they were doing. Naturally, being teenagers who press their noses into everything, they did not, but continued to stare until I entered the hospital wing, and closed the doors.

"Poppy!" I called. She scurried from her office and took one look at Draco before beginning her commands.

"Over here, on this bed!" she said swiftly. I placed him on the selected bed while Poppy started tending to him.

I watched her for a minute or two. She looked up at me and asked, "What happened?"

I took a minute to answer. I knew she wouldn't believe it, and for that matter, neither could I. I didn't think Potter would go to such lengths to hurt someone, but apparently he could. And did.

"He was attacked in the bathroom. The… perpetrator used Dark Magic, a curse called Sectumsempra. It cuts the skin many times over in different places and lets the victim bleed to death."

Poppy breathed sharply, but kept working on Draco. She uncorked a bottle of potion, what I knew to be Blood-replenishing, and poured it in his mouth. Color instantly returned to his face, and he didn't look so deathly pale anymore. With the reassurance that he would not die, I left the wing to deal with Potter.

The halls were quiet since there were classes going on. I traipsed the hallways silently. I wish I could give Potter a punishment he truly deserved, instead of the only one I could give him. Detention. For the first time in my life, I agreed with Argus; the punishment system wasn't strict enough.

I made it back to the bathroom, and I saw Potter standing there with an empty expression on his face. You would have thought he would have just drunk a Forgetfulness Potion. His clothes were blood-soaked and wet, his glasses askew. How very much he looked like his father at that very moment. The thought made me so much more the angrier.

"Potter!" I barked. He jumped and faced me, his glasses even more askew after I surprised him.

"Who knew that you could perform such Dark Magic," I said quietly. I used Legilimency on him; he was never a good Occlumens. I knew, but I had to be for certain. I could see my old Potions book swimming lazily in front of my eyes.

I backed out of his mind and said, "Go get me your textbooks Potter. All of them!"

He jumped and scurried out of the bathroom. I waited for twenty minutes before he got back. During those twenty minutes, I wondered what provoked such an attack. Not that I cared, I was still going to punish Potter severely no matter what.

Potter came crashing through the door of the bathroom and was breathing heavily as if he had been running. His face was flushed and his glasses askew yet again. He handed me his book bag wordlessly and I traversed it slowly, savoring the invasion of his privacy. Small payback for all the times he had stolen from my personal stores, the time he had sneaked in on me and Katherine during a private lesson, when he had encouraged his friends to scavenge through Katherine's belongings.

After I had removed all of Potter's books and belongings, throwing them carelessly on the water soaked floor when I was finished perusing them, I finally reached his Potions book. Excitement mounted inside me, I was finally going to be able to catch Potter at something and punish him for it, on my own terms.

But it was not my old textbook. I could feel my excitement dying fast. I opened the cover of the book to find the name "Roonil Wazlib" written in it. My excitement started up again, beating in my chest with a steady tattoo.

"So Potter, this is your textbook?" I inquired maliciously. I was filled with glee.

"Yeah," he said defiantly. Insolent little chit.

"So, your name is Roonil Wazlib?" I asked.

Potter's face fell and I knew I had him. But he soon recovered and said, "Yeah, it's my nickname."

"Your. Nickname," I said in a faux musing voice.

"You know, something your friends call you," he said in a stony voice.

"I know what a nickname is!" I snapped.

I turned the book over in my hands, contemplating. "You know what I think Potter?" I started. "I think you're a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention every Saturday until the end of the year."

I was smiling inwardly. I knew that giving him detention would make him miss the last Quidditch match of the year. Sure enough, his eyes got big as galleons and he said, "But Professor, Quidditch-"

"Oh dear," I said hatefully, unable to hide a smile any longer. "Looks like Gryffindor will lose the Cup this year because their captain decided to nearly kill another student."

His face flushed with anger and I knew I had him. "This Saturday at nine. My office."

I swept from the bathroom after throwing his book bag and borrowed Potions book aside. Once out of the bathroom, I wondered where to go. I figured what needed to happen now was to tell Katherine. I wish I could trade places with someone else while they told her.

She could get in an angry fit faster than anyone I ever knew, excluding myself.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! I was going to do Katherine first and the chapter was nearly ready but someone suggested that I do Sev's POV for it. I mentally smacked myself because I had promised myself that I would do that and forgot! Anyways, as always, comment about what you liked/didn't like/ want to see. Until next chapter!_


	89. Chapter Eightynine

The month of April passed rather uneventfully, except at the end of the month we had our Apparition licensing test. Hermione and I passed with flying colors while Ron missed it with half an eyebrow. He wasn't in such a good mood, but cheered up slightly when he realized that he and Harry could take the test together over the summer.

A week after that, Severus came to me and told me that Draco had been attacked.

I was sitting in the library, doing homework as usual and Dobby was looking after the girls. I heard the sound of heavy footfalls and looked up, surprised to see Severus walking towards me very fast, Madame Pince running after him yelling about making noise in the library. Severus didn't pay her any attention and when he reached my table he said, "Come with me immediately."

I didn't like the tone in his voice. It was urgent, worried. I didn't even ask what was wrong; I packed my school bag and rushed out of the library, Madame Pince yelling at us all the way.

Once we were out of the library I turned to Severus without slowing my pace and asked, "Where are we going?"

"The hospital wing. Your brother has been attacked," he answered shortly. Fear flooded into my chest and my heart went cold. I quickened my pace and so did he.

When we reached the hospital wing, I flew through the doors, hoping I wouldn't find something horrific. He was on a bed a little ways down from where the doors were and Madame Pomfrey was tending to him. I half-walked, half-ran to where he was and looked down.

His face had scars all over it, and his arms, which were uncovered by the sheet he was lying under, had scars all over it too. They were like long gashes, like someone had taken a knife and slit his arms and face. His face was deathly pale, as if he had lost a lot of blood. Madame Pomfrey then chose that time to remove the sheet from his torso and reveal even more cuts on his chest. I gasped and Madame Pomfrey looked up at me.

I averted my gaze and looked up at Severus who was watching me.

"What happened?" I asked quietly. He gestured that I follow him outside of the wing and I did. Just as we were passing through the door, Pansy ran through it, weeping like a child and screaming for Draco. I knew Madame Pomfrey would throw her out if she didn't calm down.

When the door had closed on Madame Pomfrey's admonitions, I turned to Severus and asked again, "What happened?"

He sighed, rubbed his temples and said in a tired and resigned voice, "Potter attacked him in the boy's washroom. I don't know why he-"

I didn't hear what else he had to say. All I needed to know was that Harry had attacked Draco, and it looked like it could have been fatal. I ran from the hospital wing on the first floor all the way up to the common room on the seventh floor so I could throttle Harry with my bare hands. When I reached the portrait hole I panted "Diligrout!" and was admitted into the room.

Harry was sitting in a chair by the fire, surrounded by Hermione, Ron and Ginny. I went up to him and he looked up at me with a blank look in his eyes.

This was probably one of the only times I ever physically hurt anyone in my life. I saw red, my chest was flooded with fire, each and every one of my nerve endings was screaming for me to do something, to make him see what he had done. I drew back my hand and slapped Harry across the face.

There was an outburst of wild emotion. Ginny made a sound in her throat that spoke of rage and Ron pulled me back to keep me from hitting him again. Hermione didn't even move she was so shocked and Harry just sat there, unmoving, as if he felt nothing. I wanted to hit him again for the sole purpose of having him feel something.

"You are out of control!" I screamed. "I don't know what goes through your head Harry Potter! How did you do it? Tell me! How did you almost kill my brother?"

Tears were pouring down my face and Harry didn't say a word to me. Thankfully for him, Ginny came to his rescue.

"Draco was about to cast an Unforgivable on Harry! Harry only defended himself! You have no right to treat him this way!" Ginny said hotly.

I screamed with derisive laughter. The entire common room was watching us now.

"Draco wasn't trying to kill Harry, but Harry almost killed him! What do you think that says about Harry, hm? How can you stand there and defend him when he almost murdered my brother?"

I got into Harry's face and yelled, "What spell did you use?"

Harry didn't answer right away so I took him by the shoulders and shook him for answers. "Tell me!" I commanded.

Ron pulled me off of him and said, "Katherine, calm-"

"Calm down? Harry has had it out for my brother since day one, and now his hatred for him has gotten to the point that he's tried to kill him!"

"I didn't know what it did Katherine!" Harry yelled, finally taking up for himself. He stood and said, "It was a spell from the book!"

I knew he didn't dare say which book, but I knew exactly which one he was talking about. This threw me over the edge.

"You used a spell from that book! How many times did I tell you to not to use those spells, spells you knew nothing about? Your stupidity has landed my brother in the hospital wing, he almost died today because of your idiocy!"

My chest was heaving in anger, and I was ready to hit him again. Luckily for him, Professor McGonagall came through the portrait hole with a thunderous expression on her face and said, "Malfoy! Follow me!"

I swore under my breath and cast a look of pure loathing at Harry before following McGonagall out of the portrait hole. It would seem that someone slipped out and ran to get McGonagall. Snitch.

She brought me to the Headmaster. After she escorted me to his office, she left. I knocked on the door and I heard an "Enter". I did so very unwillingly and closed the door behind me to face my very calm Headmaster.

"So Miss Malfoy, I see you in my office yet again," he said pleasantly. His pale blue eyes were surveying me coolly, and I had the mounting feeling of being x-rayed. I wasn't the least bit sorry for what I did. And he could tell I wasn't.

"Are you sorry for hitting Mr. Potter?" he asked directly.

I shook my head. I didn't trust myself to talk; I would probably start yelling again.

"As understandable as your actions are, this behavior cannot be tolerated," Dumbledore said sternly. I just looked at him steadily with a blank look on my face.

Suddenly, I gasped as if I had been hit with a lightning bolt, and metaphorically I had.

"Professor, have you had the chance to talk to him?" I asked eagerly.

"Which him?" Dumbledore inquired calmly.

"Harry," I said, the name tasting bitter in my mouth.

"Ah, yes, I have," said Dumbledore serenely.

It was now my turn to look piercingly at him and I asked, "Did he say why he attacked Draco?"

"Why yes. Do you have a theory?" Dumbledore asked smoothly.

I paused. Should I voice my suspicions? Figuring I had nothing to lose, I said, "Professor, I think that Harry may have found out what Draco has been assigned to do."

Dumbledore's serene face became more alert and he leaned forward in his chair.

He looked at me searchingly and asked, "Do you know what Draco is supposed to do?"

I nodded solemnly. "And I know that you know," I said nervously.

I began talking rather hurriedly and said, "I'm only bringing it up because I know Harry has it out for Draco and loves you so much Professor. I know he'd be devastated and if he found out what Draco's mission was…"

My voice faltered and I couldn't talk anymore. Suddenly I hated myself for knowing so much about this sordid business. It was easy for Draco and Severus, they loathed Harry and didn't have to see him so much every day. And even though I wasn't president of Harry's fan club, I was still constantly hanging around Ron and Hermione, who in turn hung out with Harry. It was so hard for me to not spill secrets left and right.

_I need to start hanging out with dumb people, _I thought morosely.

Genius Hermione who knew tons of stuff and deduced everything else. Perceptive Harry who always picked up the smallest things that passed between people when they interacted.

I was brought back into reality by Dumbledore's voice which said, "No, Harry does not know. And it needs to stay that way."

He was surveying me yet again over his spectacles. "It'll only be a bit longer," he said reassuringly.

My eyes started to tear up. Here was Dumbledore, sitting there and very calmly talking about his death, telling me not to worry, it would only be a bit longer I would have to keep the secret. Not to worry, he would die soon. I couldn't imagine a dead Dumbledore. Tears spilled over onto my cheeks and I swiped a hand across my face.

I looked back at Dumbledore who looked like he pitied me. A look that was right in line with what he said next:

"Do not pity the dead or dying. Pity the living, especially those who live without love."

It was so like Dumbledore to say something like that. I chuckled slightly and said, "That sounds about right."

He smiled slightly and said, "I think it is time for you to go and see your brother. Come to my office on Thursday night for your detention."

I nodded my understanding and recognized my dismissal. I left his office with a few more tears splashing down my front. I wiped my face again and went to go see to Draco, wondering what my detention with Dumbledore would be like.

_Author's Note: Katherine seems to be bursting at the seams to tell someone something… Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	90. Chapter Ninety

_Author's Note: I usually don't put a note before my chapters, but I figure I have to now. Some of you will have noticed that the rating has now changed. I can no longer rate this story a T because of some more mature situations that happen later on in the chapter that I never planned on. I'm sorry if some of you don't feel comfortable with it, but you can skip over it if you would like. But if you decide to keep reading this story, you should be fully aware that it's rated M now and don't come crying to me five chapters from now about how you never thought it would be written this way. I'm warning you now so there are no surprises. But I don't intend on doing this every chapter, so that should make some of you feel better. Have fun reading. :)_

Draco got better as the week went on, and was released by Thursday, with much fussing from Madame Pomfrey. She threatened him with an entire week of bed rest if he didn't take it easy.

Meanwhile, Pansy had vilified Harry far and wide about the despicable act he had performed. Not many people, other than Slytherins, paid attention to her, seeing as they preferred Harry. And if they didn't know either, they still sympathized with Harry since he was a Gryffindor, saying that Draco probably had it coming to him since he was a Slytherin. I was sick every time I heard someone's take on the story, always taking up for Harry. I refrained myself from yelling in each and every one of their faces the way I had yelled in Harry's but I always had the strongest urge to.

Never had I been so sick with the House discrimination in our school. It was borderline ridiculous.

Severus had been wonderful during it, going to see Draco every day. I knew it wasn't only because of me; Severus was fond of him, and he was his godfather. I felt a little weird every time I pondered on the fact that I was married to my brother's godfather.

Detention with Dumbledore turned out to be detention with Hagrid instead. I walked up to Dumbledore's office on Thursday night and knocked on his door.

"Enter," I heard him say and pushed the door open, feeling rather apprehensive. Hagrid stood a little ways off from the door and I assumed he was just about to leave until he clapped a hand on my back that nearly made me fall to the ground.

"You've got detention with me tonight!" he said rather jovially. "We've got to be tendin' ter Buck- I mean, Witherwings and some 'o the other creatures."

I nodded, rather thankful for the reprieve. After my weird conversation with Dumbledore on Tuesday, I didn't want to be in the same vicinity.

Hagrid lumbered from the room and I followed hurriedly. I glanced back over my shoulder at Dumbledore who was smiling serenely, and looked all too understanding.

Hagrid led me out onto the grounds and to his cottage. I could see Buckbeak, the hippogriff I had helped Harry and Hermione free in our third year, tethered behind the cottage. He was lying down and looked extremely peaceful; he was a rather majestic creature.

I approached him and tried my hardest not to blink, which was difficult for me. Thankfully Buckbeak knew me and bowed quickly. I went over and stroked his glossy feathers and smiled. I wasn't taking Care of Magical Creatures this year, but I did miss it somewhat.

"Dumbledore tol' me why you've got detention tonight," Hagrid began sternly. I looked over at him and saw he was "busily" tending to some flobberworms. Hagrid was never one for nonchalance or subtlety though, and soon gave this up as a lost project, looking at me full on.

I squirmed slightly. I knew that Hagrid liked me immensely, but I knew that he liked Harry much more. And where I had felt no shame before, I felt some now, in the back of my mind. A blush crept into my cheeks and I said, "And?"

"And? You ought not ter slap people," he said in a gruff voice that tried to reprove.

I looked him dead in the eyes and said, "He attacked Draco."

Hagrid snorted his derision and said, "Draco's always been a good-fer-nothin'-"

He seemed to realize who he was talking to and hastened to cover up what he had said by babbling away. I cut him off by saying gently, "Hagrid, I know my brother. And I know he can do some rotten things, but inside he's… He's a good person, and I love him."

Now it was Hagrid's turn to feel slightly abashed. "I know how you feel, wha' with Grawpy an' everythin'," he said with a waving of his hand. I smiled. I don't think anyone would be able to forget that a sixteen-foot-tall giant roamed in the Forbidden Forest once someone had told them. I hadn't ever met Grawp, but when Hermione had told me about it, I was visited with the strong urge to either laugh or faint. Seeing as I couldn't choose between the two, I had settled then for an awkward concerned frown. But now, after two years of Grawp living in the Forest and having never once heard or seen him, I figured he must be a peaceful being and could laugh a little about it.

"How're yeh gettin' along?" Hagrid asked, trying to gloss over our conversation. I chattered away about classes while helping Hagrid spray slug-repellant on the plants in the garden. After doing a few more things for him, it was nine o'clock. He dismissed me and I made my way back up to the castle. Halfway back, I spotted Severus with Dumbledore.

I started over to them, but abandoned this as soon as I saw they were having a rather heated argument. Well, the heated part was really one-sided since Severus was extremely white in the face while Dumbledore stood there calmly.

I crept closer to hear.

"Did it ever occur to your brilliant mind that I do not wish to do this anymore?" Severus spat in Dumbledore's face.

"You promised Severus. There is nothing more to discuss," Dumbledore said calmly.

Severus looked infuriated and stalked off towards the castle. Dumbledore followed after a few minutes and I followed soon after, wondering what that conversation could have possibly been about. It was getting to be about the time Filch locked the doors to the castle, so I ran for it in case he decided to lock them early. I saw that they weren't locked and heaved a sigh of relief. I slipped in through the huge double doors as Filch came scurrying over, delight spreading across his face.

"A student out of bed!" he wheezed gleefully. My heart sank as I looked at the huge clock on the wall that said 9:30; curfew for all students was 9:15.

"Just wait till I deal with you!" he said joyfully, shuffling along and taking my arm in his surprisingly strong grip.

"That'll do Argus," came a familiar, silky voice. Severus stepped from the shadows and said, "I'll deal with her."

Filch shot Severus a filthy look but ambled away, all the while muttering curses under his breath.

"What were you doing out there so late?" he asked with one raised eyebrow. I decided to ignore his question and pose one of my own:

"What were you doing out there arguing with Dumbledore?"

His mouth dropped open and he automatically closed it, keeping it shut while his mind worked.

"So, you saw," he stated. I nodded. "Bits and pieces really."

"Well then, I suggest we keep it that way; what the Headmaster and I were discussing is none of your business."

I could accept this, even though I really wanted to know. We walked to my room and he followed me inside. "Hello Dobby," I said affectionately. Dobby looked up from what he was doing. I saw he was cleaning my room. I frowned.

"Dobby, I thought we had this discussion. You don't have to clean for me," I insisted.

"But Dobby wants to do it for Miss! Dobby gets bored when young Misses go to sleep, so sometimes Dobby cleans to pass the time away!"

I sighed and turned to Severus. He just raised his eyebrows, betraying no emotions. I could tell he was highly amused though.

I turned back to Dobby and said, "Well, I intend to be in my room for the rest of the night Dobby, so you can go."

Dobby smiled at me and said, "Thank you Miss!" He subsequently popped out of the room.

I turned back to Severus who was watching me intently. I quirked my eyebrows and asked, "Yes?"

He shook his head and said, "Nothing, just contemplating something."

"Contemplating what?" I prodded.

He said nothing, but came closer to me. He put one hand around my waist and his other in my hair; all the while his lips rapidly coming closer to mine. For a moment, his lips hovered over my lips, as if he was thinking about not kissing me after all. He smirked and then brought his mouth down on mine, sealing it with a hot and heady kiss.

He always made me dizzy when he did this, and he knew it. I melted into his body while his lips conquered mine, taking what was rightfully his. I only slightly registered his arms drawing me closer, locking me in a tight embrace.

_He's such a good kisser, _I thought mindlessly. Harry had been woefully inexperienced all those times I had kissed him, but I didn't know just how badly because I was decently ignorant too. When Severus had truly kissed me for the first time, I understood how juvenile Harry's kisses had been. By comparison, Harry was a toddler finger painting while Severus had created masterpieces.

I put my arms around Severus's neck and he responded eagerly, pulling me even closer, something I didn't even know was humanly possible. Severus's lips left mine and trailed kisses along my jaw and neck. I shivered as his hot breath fanned across my cold skin.

Severus was always so sure of what he was doing, something that had been intimidating the first few times we went to bed. I had never done more than been snogged a couple times, at Harry's insistence; something I didn't think was very enjoyable. But when I kissed Severus, it was something completely different. The first couple of times we made love, he seemed almost happy about the fact I had no clue what I was doing, happy because it only reinforced the fact that he was the only one and that Harry had not been able to get to that point with me.

I hadn't been ready when Harry asked me, and I could now look back on it and realize it had been because I didn't really love him. I loved Severus, which was why I had been ready only a short year later. After we had gone through so much together emotionally. I suppose one could make the argument that I had gone through a lot with Harry, but it was never emotional stuff. His stuff was always about defeating Voldemort and breaking a million school rules on the way there. But what I went through with Severus was indeed emotional. Having children and getting married were the biggest moments out of many moments we had shared, some small, some big, but all contributing to our relationship along the way. I had found that making love to Severus, to anyone, was not just giving your body; it was giving heart and soul too.

We fell onto the bed while Severus started to undo the buttons on my shirt. "I hate these damned uniforms," he growled as the blouse fell away. Now it was my turn to smirk.

"Getting your clothes off isn't exactly a picnic either," I retorted.

He didn't say anything in return, but kissed me into silence. This kiss wasn't as forceful; it was sweeter, but still full of passion. It was almost as if he could read my mind, as if he had understood what I was feeling and was responding to it in his own way. I smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss as I stripped him down to his bare chest. I smiled even more when we were both wearing nothing.

There was never a moment when Severus wasn't sure of himself. In the classroom, in his role as a spy, and, as I had only discovered a year ago, in bed. I thought about what my friends would say if I told them their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was fantastic in bed and nearly giggled. My thoughts were cut short though by Severus beginning to make love to me. This drove all thoughts out of mind but one, to get as close to Severus as possible, to become one person.

Severus was rough, and I knew why. I had an extremely forceful and domineering personality, and this was one of only a few ways he could be forceful and domineering with me. As we finished, I cried out his name and he groaned, one of the sexiest things I have ever heard in my life.

He rolled off me and we lay there for a moment, sweating and exhausted. I smiled and snuggled up to him, laying my head on his chest. I could almost see him smile as he put an arm around me to pull me even closer. I lightly kissed his chest as an "I love you".

"Did that answer your question?" he asked silkily.

I looked up at him and said, "What question?"

He roared with laughter, kissed my nose and said, "Never mind. It's good to see my prowess in the bedroom has the power to make you forget things. I'm highly honored."

I fell asleep wondering what in the world I could have asked that would lead to that.

_Author's Note: I'm so awkward writing this stuff, so I hope that I did ok. Gollen6: I have absolutely no way of PMing you, so I'll tell you here. The spell that Severus used to heal Draco was actually the spell he used in the movie since they didn't specify one in the books. Anyways, comment about what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	91. Chapter Nintyone

I woke up the morning after spending the night with Katherine and saw both twins were wide awake in their cribs. I went over to them and both smiled up at me, almost telepathically begging me to pick them up. I chuckled and picked up Posy first while Melanie frowned at me in her toddler way. I grinned, put Posy down and picked up Melanie who smiled.

Katherine stirred awake, rubbing her eyes. She sat up and grinned at me.

"Good morning," she said while slipping out of bed to get dressed. "Morning," I replied. Her cheeks flushed slightly and I felt the sweet taste of victory. She zipped up her skirt as she finished getting dressed and picked up the lonesome Posy from the floor who was tottering around fast, now sure on her feet.

The twins were quickly learning the power of walking and how it could help them get into places they shouldn't belong. Too often they could be caught opening the bottommost drawers of the desk and dresser and grabbing things in their destructive grasp.

I put Melanie down on the ground and looked at my watch; I realized I had to leave soon. I quickly got dressed so I could leave her room unnoticed by staff or students; I was already cutting it close.

She watched me as I buttoned my shirt up and asked, "Do you really have to go?"

I smiled and said, "Yes."

She pouted and spotted Melanie perusing an essay on Elemental Transfiguration.

"Mel, no!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the toddler and grabbed it from her right as she was about to tear it. She stuffed the essay back into the drawer and shut it while Melanie gave a pout reminiscent of the one Katherine had given a couple minutes before. God, they looked so much like her. Which was a good thing, seeing as I wasn't much of a looker.

She huffed with exasperation and turned to me as Melanie walked off to do something else. We watched her as she went to the dress closet, opened it, and started playing with Katherine's shoes. Posy pulled from Katherine, obviously wanting to be put down and Katherine obliged. Posy scampered over to her twin and picked up a shoe.

She gave a small laugh and turned back to me. "I'll see you in class later today?"

I bent to give her a small kiss and said, "Of course. But right now, I have to leave before someone sees me."

Her small mouth was set in a petulant grimace, but she let me go. I gave her one last kiss and walked out the door swiftly.

There were no students or teachers in sight. I heaved a sigh of relief and made my way to my living quarters. Once there, I changed clothes and readied myself for the day.

I went down to breakfast to see Katherine sitting at the Gryffindor table, laughing with her friends and chattering away rapidly. Then a dark look came over her face. I followed her gaze and saw Potter walking towards them. She got up abruptly and walked off, without having even touched her food.

I rolled my eyes and tucked into some pancakes.

_Author's Note: Kind of a boring chapter. Next chapter or two will be the Battle of the Astronomy Tower! As usual, comment on what you like/don't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	92. Chapter Ninetytwo

The Saturday following Draco's attack was the last Quidditch game of the year. I was anxious for Gryffindor to win and went to the match, hoping Ginny could catch the Snitch in time. Gryffindor won the match as well as the Cup. Everyone in Gryffindor was ecstatic. They had a wild and uncontained party in the common room afterwards with excessive amounts of butterbeer and Weasley Wizard Wheeze's products.

Harry came in a couple hours after with Ginny running towards him, screaming about winning the Quidditch Cup. She ran into his arms and he kissed her. The entire common room went quiet and then exploded into cheers.

Surprisingly, I felt nothing. Not jealousy, anger, or disdain. I was glad I didn't feel anything towards him anymore.

The weeks following the attack in the bathroom, Draco seemed to be getting much better. He looked healthier and happier. I asked him what changed and he said in a rather cryptic voice, "It's something beyond you for the time being."

I pondered on this and I was growing increasingly afraid that it was his mission and that he was succeeding. I didn't want Dumbledore to die. I asked Severus if he could change Draco's mind, but Severus, not being in the best mood the day I asked him, said icily, "He has no choice. If he does not, his family will be killed."

I was frightened, and apparently it had shown on my face. Severus misunderstood my fear though and said, "He won't kill you. He doesn't consider you to be theirs."

I looked at him and said, "Do you really think I'm afraid for my own life right now? What about my mother and father, and Draco?"

Severus just rolled his eyes and said, "I should have known. You're never concerned with your own safety."

I bit back a nasty retort because I didn't want to get in another fight. The subject wasn't brought up again.

I found myself almost wishing that Draco succeed, as painful it is for me to admit it. I was worried sick for my family, but I also didn't want to see Dumbledore leave this world by my brother's hand. I was torn on what to think and feel.

I began retreating into myself while this inner war raged on. Hermione and Ron noticed, but never understood because I never told them. I couldn't tell them. How could I say that I knew Draco was trying to kill Dumbledore, and I wish he would so that my family wouldn't die?

Some day in mid-June, I was sitting in the Gryffindor common room for some much needed time with my friends. I was sitting as far away from Harry as I could when Jimmy Peakes entered the common room and gave Harry a parchment.

"Thanks Jimmy!" Harry said to his retreating form. He unrolled the scroll and said, "He wants to see me. You don't think…?"

Curious, I asked of no one, "What is it?"

Harry ignored me and said, "I'll see you guys in a bit."

He climbed out of the portrait hole and I turned to Hermione. "What is it?"

She glanced at Ron with a look that plainly said "It couldn't hurt to tell her, right?".

"Well," Hermione started. "Dumbledore has told Harry that Voldemort has Horcruxes."

"Hor-whats?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Horcruxes," Hermione repeated. "It's an object that you can encase part of your soul in. Voldemort created six of them to split his soul into seven parts. That's how he's been coming back."

I processed this slowly, and then said, "So that bit of Riddle in the diary from second year. It was a Horcrux?"

Hermione nodded and I felt sick. I couldn't believe I had confronted a bit of the soul of the man who had given me life and tried to kill me in his sixteen-year-old form.

"How do you make a Horcrux?" I asked.

"Well, you have to kill," Ron said uneasily. I made a face at this. Then it would have been all too easy for Voldemort to make six Horcruxes.

"But what do Horcruxes have to do with the letter?" I asked Hermione.

Hermione paused and then said, "Last time Harry was with Dumbledore, Harry asked if he could go with Dumbledore if he found another Horcrux. We think he's found one and now Harry's going with him."

I was perplexed why Dumbledore would take Harry with him. There was sure to be dangers, Harry could be killed, something I knew Dumbledore wouldn't want on his hands. I mentally shrugged and thought about the Horcruxes again.

"So, all of them have to be destroyed before Harry can kill Voldemort?" I contemplated.

Hermione and Ron shrugged and said, "Basically."

At that moment, Harry ran into the common room and ran upstairs, Ron calling after him. Two minutes later, Harry came tearing back down the stairs and ran over to Ron and Hermione, nearly doubling over. I shrank back and tried not to be seen.

He told them about how Dumbledore wanted him to go with him to find the Horcrux and how Draco was in the Room of Requirement celebrating and how he thought it was going to be tonight. I rolled my eyes and didn't even ask what "it" was .

"You guys have got to patrol the corridors. Use the Map. Take the Felix and split it between yourselves and Ginny. Tell her goodbye for me," Harry said quickly.

Hermione squeaked, "Harry, you need it more than us-"

Harry cut her off by saying, "Don't be like that, I'll be with Dumbledore. I have to go now."

He turned around and saw me. He stopped in his tracks and looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time in a long time. He watched me with a critical eye and then said four words I'll never forget:

"Snape killed my mother."

I was shocked and appalled. I had no idea what he was talking about. Before I could interrogate him though, he turned and ran through the portrait hole.

Hermione and Ron were suddenly descending upon me, insisting that I take some of the Felix. I pushed them away, not thinking, not feeling. I could hear myself muttering that I wouldn't take any because Harry didn't say to give it to me, that it would be pointless since nothing dangerous was going to happen tonight.

They wouldn't give up on me and I finally snapped at them, telling them to leave me alone. I needed to think.

I went back to my room and feverishly paced the floor. I had no idea what he was talking about. I knew that Severus would never have intentionally hurt Lily. I couldn't imagine what had happened.

_Snape killed my mother._

The words bounced around in my head, echoing, laughing at me, not taking pity on the fact that I was wondering if my husband really had killed the woman he said he had loved.

I shook my head at these thoughts. Severus wouldn't have intentionally killed Lily, Harry, or James Potter. I just knew it.

After I resolved this in my mind, I wondered what he thought Draco was up to. It took many laps around my room to figure out that it was his mission. Whatever tool he was going to use to kill Dumbledore, he had it now. It would happen tonight. I was slightly relieved, but then felt sick with myself in being happy about the fact that my brother was about to kill Dumbledore.

I went back to the common room, fighting with myself all the way on whether I should dissuade them from trying to stop Draco or not. I figured that I would let them be because if I seemed to know too much about it they would accuse me of trying to help Draco kill Dumbledore.

I felt a knot in my stomach getting tighter and tighter. My throat constricted as I fought with myself internally, still not happy with my decision. I figured I never would in any way possible, so I stuck with the choice I had made. I reached the common room and saw Ron and Hermione giving Ginny her share of the Felix.

I strode over to them and said, "I'm willing to help. What can I do?"

Hermione measured me to see what I would be best suited for and said, "Neville, Ron and Ginny can go to the outside of the Room of Requirement to catch Malfoy. You, me and Luna will go to Snape's office and make sure he's not up to anything funny."

My heart sank. How was I going to get out of any of this? No matter where I was stationed, I had all the potential of coming undone at the seams and my secrets pouring left and right. I bit my lip.

_But I promised._

I took a deep breath and said, "Alright. Let's go."

Hermione and I left before Ron and Ginny and met up with Luna by Severus's offices.

I could tell that this wouldn't end well.

_Author's Note: Ahh, it's about to happen! The next chapter will either be in Draco's POV about what he's doing to get the Death Eaters in Hogwarts or Sev's POV which will skip straight to him killing Dumbledore. You guys decide! Gollen6: As for Katherine's third child, they'll never make an appearance in the story, this I know for a fact. I've already got everything squared away about her children and what their lives will be like which will be the last installment of my story. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like. Until next chapter! :)_


	93. Chapter Ninetythree

_Author's Note: I want to capture what Katherine and Severus are thinking throughout the chapter as different things happen, so when you see a dividing thing it means the POV has changed. But it'll only be between Katherine and Severus, no one else. Savvy? Alright, Battle of the Astronomy Tower, let's go!_

I was lounging about in my study, reading a book when I heard a furious pounding on my door. I opened it, astounded to see a small Filius Flitwick standing in my doorway, wheezing and coughing, trying to draw air into his lungs. I was afraid he would pass out soon. He straightened up as best as he could and yelled, "Death Eaters! Death Eaters in the castle!"

I froze. Draco had decided to do it tonight. I thought quickly and asked, "Where are they?"

"On top of the Astronomy Tower!" he squeaked breathlessly. I instinctively Stunned him and ran out the door. I couldn't have him following me.

I saw Granger, Lovegood and Katherine outside the door. I was flabbergasted. How had they known? Had they followed Flitwick to help him? I thought on my feet and said, "Professor Flitwick has passed out. He needs your help while I go to help sort things out."

I ran away down the corridor and could hear feet after me. I turned around and swore loudly. Katherine was following me.

-o-

Is it wrong to say that for a split second I didn't trust my husband? In one crucial moment, Hermione and Luna ran into Severus's office. I ran in the other direction, towards my husband, chasing him, worrying that he would do something horrible.

And then I felt sickened with myself. That I believed that my husband would do something horrific was a sickening thought. And then I realized that my fears weren't unfounded, that if there were Death Eaters he would have to be cunning in his actions. God knew what side he would have to take.

A few corridors down, he stopped abruptly and turned around. Upon seeing me, he uttered a pretty vulgar swear word and yelled, "This is not the time for your antics Katherine!"

I rolled my eyes and strolled towards him, looking him dead in the eye.

"We're a team Severus. I'm coming with you."

He smirked. "Not where I'm going." I couldn't understand this cryptic answer, but followed him anyways when he turned around and started running again towards the fight.

Until now, Hermione, Luna and I had absolutely no idea what was happening. Ron, Neville and Ginny had taken the Map up to the Room of Requirement to look out for Draco and we couldn't hear anything. Only when Professor Flitwick had come running down the hall screaming about Death Eaters in the castle did we finally understand that Draco had succeeded in whatever he was doing. I wondered if Dumbledore was dead yet. My heart clenched at the thought and I ran harder, even though I was fast running out of breath.

We entered the Entrance Hall and I was appalled at what I saw. Duels were going on left and right, Order members sending jets of light at the remaining Death Eaters who weren't on the tower and Lupin was trying to keep Ginny, Ron and Neville from the fight, Ginny struggling the hardest.

Severus ran towards the tower, everyone encouraging him on the way up, thinking he was going to help. I felt my heart turn to ice when I wondered if he really would help Dumbledore.

I ran up the stairs as well, but Severus stopped halfway to hold me back.

"And where do you think you're going?" he snarled.

I didn't reply, and he turned on his heel to run up the rest of the steps to the tower.

After a few moments I followed him in a sprint up the stairs. When I reached the top, I felt a cold chill, the same peculiar feeling I would get when I accidentally walked through a ghost. After the chill, I felt a sharp pain on my arms and I cried out. I ripped my sleeve back to see the words cutting into my arms again, blood pouring from them. I gritted my teeth. I knew I had a low tolerance for pain, but now was not the time to act like a child. I needed to be up there.

I opened the door to the tower and walked through.

-o-

I whipped my head around to the opening door and saw Katherine standing there, blood dripping down her hands. I couldn't fathom what would have happened in the few seconds I had left her. I wondered how she had gotten through the barrier; only people with a Dark Mark could have gotten through, or someone who had been pulled through by someone else with the Mark.

I stood there with Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback and Draco. Dumbledore was slumped against the ramparts and looking at Katherine and Draco with pity in his eyes. Katherine seemed rather surprised to find herself in such a ludicrous situation. I wanted to shake my head at her, but had no time. Bellatrix had gathered herself from Katherine's unexpected entrance and strode over to her, took her hands, and held them behind her back. Katherine made a hiss of protest, but Bellatrix said, "You're foolish enough to interfere, and I won't let you get in the way of the Dark Lord's plans!"

I rolled my eyes. I let them be because I didn't believe that Bellatrix would really hurt Katherine. I turned to Dumbledore and Amycus said, "Snape, the boy doesn't seem to be able to do it!"

I heard a weak voice coming from the ramparts and saw that it was Dumbledore. He was whispering, "Severus… please…"

My heart twisted in my chest and I considered not doing it for a minute. I didn't want to do this anymore, I didn't want to kill Dumbledore. But Dumbledore had explained that it was the only way to gain the Dark Lord's trust. To murder him.

_You promised Severus…_

I walked past Bellatrix restraining my wife, past the Carrow twins, and past the rabid werewolf. I shoved Draco out of the way and, for the finishing touch, gave Dumbledore my best sneer, one I usually would have saved for Potter.

I raised my wand and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

I heard two women screaming behind me, Bellatrix and Katherine, their screams of triumph and grief mixing in the night air. I turned around to face Draco who was watching Dumbledore fall over the tower in shock and horror. Greyback and the Carrow twins who looked at me as if I were God himself and Bellatrix as if she would have liked nothing more than to finish off Dumbledore for herself. Katherine was silently crying and I felt like holding her so I could cry too. It was one of the few times I had wanted to cry.

But now was not the time. I took Draco and ripped Katherine from Bellatrix's grasp, propelling the both of them forward so we could get a move on. Katherine and Draco couldn't stay here any longer.

"Let's go!" I nearly shouted, ushering them down the stairs. The Death Eaters soon followed, and Order members rushed up to meet them, ignoring the three of us in the front because they thought I was on their side…

Amycus began duelling the Weasley girl and Alecto was running away from McGonagall in fright.

I rushed through the castle, hurrying, hurrying. At some point I let go of Katherine and Draco, willing them to follow me. I heard an inhuman roar of fury and found that Potter was following me. We were on the grounds by this point, and I was confident that we would leave unscathed, no matter what Potter did.

"Run!" I yelled behind me, hoping Katherine and Draco got the message and would disapparate as soon as possible. Bellatrix set Hagrid's hut on fire and I rolled my eyes at her unneeded cruelty.

Potter cried, "Crucio!" but I parried the curse. He tried to disarm me, but again I blocked it. I was having too much fun toying with Potter. I saw a jet of light come from behind me and Potter started writhing in pain on the ground. I looked behind me and saw Bellatrix's expression of glee at Potter's torment.

"Stop! He is for the Dark Lord alone!" I commanded. She rolled her eyes and ran away to join Draco and Katherine.

"Incarcerous!" Potter yelled at me, but I blocked him again. "Fight back you coward!" he screamed.

I snorted. "Your father would never attack me unless it was four against one, what would you call him?"

He snarled at me and screamed, "Sectumsempra!"

I countered this attack again and knocked his wand out of his hand. I strode over to him, closing the remaining distance between the two of us and looked down at him with disdain.

"How dare you use my own spells against me, I the Half-Blood Prince! Yes, I created that spell, I knew you used it on Draco. You, like your father, are now trying to turn my own inventions against me!"

"Kill me then!" he spat at me. "Kill me like you killed him, like the coward you are!"

My face flushed with anger, my eyes were practically rolling in my head. I couldn't stand to be called a coward. This idiot boy had no idea, no idea! No idea how much I risked for him.

"Don't. Call. Me. A. COWARD!" I screamed. I hexed him and ran off towards the gates of Hogwarts, looking back every few seconds to make sure that no one was following me. I ran out the gate and disapparated as soon as I could.

When I was released from the pressure of apparition and stumbled toward the Manor. I knew that this was where everyone would go afterwards. Narcissa came hurrying out to me and said, "Draco said something about Katherine being there when it happened. Explain!"

I turned a confused face to her and said, "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Narcissa's face was etched with worry as she said, "She's not here. Unless you brought her with you."

She looked around me hopefully to see if I had, but I knew I didn't. I had a sinking feeling in my heart.

Somehow, someway Katherine had gotten left behind in the clutches of Potter, a boy who knew our secret and would probably love to avenge Dumbledore's death by taking it out on his killer's wife.

-o-

I lay on the floor of the entrance hall, in a full body-bind hex. Harry had run up behind me and yelled the hex and then run forward for Severus.

While I lay there, I replayed the whole thing in my mind. Barging into the tower, Bellatrix restraining me, Severus murdering Dumbledore. I could still see Dumbledore gracefully falling backwards off the tower. I imagined so vividly to the point of almost being able to hear it, the sickening crunch as Dumbledore hit the ground.

I wanted to cry some more, but couldn't. After a while, the battle seemed to subside and I felt someone gently pick me up from the floor and revive me. I blinked to see Lupin looking down at me kindly. I cried hard in his arms, completely shocked. My heart hurt for Dumbledore to have died, and for him to have died at my husband's hand.

He patted my hand and led me towards what I assumed was the hospital wing. Through my blurred vision, I saw Madame Pomfrey bustling towards me and pushing me down on a bed. She thrust a bottle of something in my hands and I asked, "W-what is it?"

"A tonic for the nerves. Drink up," she said firmly, and left to tend to someone else. I sipped it and immediately felt myself calming down. I dried my eyes and saw Lupin standing at the foot of my bed, looking at me concernedly.

"What happened up there?" he asked.

At this, I burst into renewed tears. I couldn't tell him my husband had killed Dumbledore, the most revered wizard of our time, the most respected, most loved man I had ever known! I couldn't!

He looked at me uncomfortably and moved away without another word, leaving me to myself. I took to crying and sipping the tonic at the same time, alternately feeling better and feeling worse at the same time. There was a heavy feeling in my heart that no tonic could help shake.

The door opened and Harry was ushered in by Ginny and his eyes were immediately drawn to a bed at the far end of the wing. Hermione rushed to him to make sure he was alright and he asked, "Will Bill be ok?"

Bill? I sat up and looked at the bed that Harry was looking at and saw a grotesque sight. Bill Weasley's face was horribly slashed and ripped to the point of almost being unrecognizable.

It had to have been Greyback. No curse could have done that.

I instinctively took the bottle of tonic in my hands and took another sip, my hands shaking, almost spilling some on myself in the process. I glanced at my left hand, my wedding ring glittering there. I had the strongest urge to rip it off from fear, but decided against it.

"Surely he won't be a real werewolf," I heard Ron say uncertainly.

"No, but he will have some wolfish characteristics," Lupin said tiredly.

I zoned from the conversation around Bill's bed until I heard Ginny clearly say, "Ron- Dumbledore's dead."

It was so harsh, so blunt. It hurt. I started to cry again.

Before I knew it, Harry was by my bedside. I'm not sure what expression was on his face, but I knew the storm was coming.

Speaking to the room at large, but not taking his eyes off me, Harry said, "Snape killed Dumbledore."

Tears welled up in my eyes. My lower lip trembled. "Stop it!" Harry yelled. I was so startled I spilled the entire nerve calming tonic on myself. "You have absolutely no right, no right, to cry for Dumbledore!"

Hearing this only made me cry harder. Harry was in anguish and so was I.

He took the flask of tonic from my hands and threw it across the room, looking quite deranged. He took my left hand and said, "Show them, show everyone!"

Here it was. It was a miracle this had been kept a secret for so long.

"Is that a wedding ring?" I heard someone say curiously. I barely registered that it was McGonagall talking.

Harry looked towards me and said, "Well? She asked you?"

"Y-yes," I stammered.

"Tell them, tell them who it is!" Harry roared. He looked quite demented. His pain for Dumbledore's death coming to a peak, I knew he needed to take it out on someone. I wish he hadn't taken it out on me.

"Sev-Severus," I said in an extremely quiet voice.

"Speak up!" Harry commanded.

"Severus!" I threw in his face. I buried my face in my hands and started crying again. I could feel every pair of eyes in the room watching me, waiting.

"It was her brother's mission to kill Dumbledore," Harry said in a low voice shaking with anger. "And her husband did the deed."

He turned back to me and said, "How long have you known? What with your brother, father and husband being Death Eaters, surely you knew."

I took my face from my hands and wiped the tears from it. I took a deep breath and looked at everyone in the room. Everyone was looking at me with either disgust or incredulity. Hermione and Ron seemed to be the only ones looking at me with sympathy.

"I- I did know. But only a couple months ago," I said quietly. I couldn't tell them that Dumbledore knew. Dumbledore had instructed me not to tell anyone anything, and I was sure that I wasn't absolved of that promise in the event of his death. So I kept my mouth shut. "I didn't know that Severus was going to kill him."

"Answer me one thing, one," Harry said with a hungry look in his eyes like a cat about to attack a mouse.

"Are you in love with him?"

I hadn't been ready for this. I thought he would have asked me something else, but here it was. I looked at everyone's expectant faces, awaiting my answer. I looked at my wedding ring and remembered my words from about two hours earlier.

_We're a team Severus._

I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, "Yes. Of course I love him."

My voice got stronger, and my conviction as well. We were a team. I was going to back my husband up, even if it meant costing me my friendships. I had still even more secrets that I couldn't tell, but now I could tell them these.

"He's the father of my children. I was ordered to marry Severus, but I've fallen in love with him, and he's fallen in love with me. I support my husband in what he does, even if I don't understand it. And believe me when I say that I don't know why he killed Dumbledore, but I still love him."

It was rather quiet in the room and I turned to Harry. "Answer my question now," I said.

"What?" he asked rather rudely.

"What did you mean by your snide comment earlier?"

Harry's lips curled into an evil grin and he said, "You're in for a treat Katherine. You're about to hear why Dumbledore trusted him so much."

My breath caught in my throat. There was no way Harry knew about Severus being in love with Lily.

"See, when Trelawney made the prophecy about me and Voldemort, Snape was listening at the door. He ran home to tell his master and Voldemort assumed it was my mother. Afterwards, Snape came to Dumbledore and said that he was sorry that my mum and dad had died."

"But Snape _hated_ James," Lupin cut in.

"Exactly," Harry said. "He didn't think my mother was worth a damn either, seeing as he called her a Mudblood."

I shot up from the bed so fast Harry stumbled back onto another bed. He righted himself and I said in a low tone, "He would never."

"Oh, but he did," Harry said, relishing my pain.

I drew back a hand to slap him and found it was covered in dry blood. Before my hand made contact with his face though, he caught it in his own hand and said, "Control your temper. Snape."

I glared at him, absolutely loathing him with every fiber of my being.

"So, when did you get the Dark Mark?" Harry asked in a faux pleasant voice.

My jaw dropped at this. Never had I heard such a ridiculous remark. Me, get the Dark Mark? Preposterous. But apparently Harry didn't seem to think so.

"I'll show you my left arm, but you won't see anything there," I said snidely while I pushed both sleeves back to reveal the bloody mess they had become when I passed through the barrier.

"Dear God, what is that?" McGonagall whispered.

"Oh this?" I said nonchalantly. "I had a disagreement with Voldemort over the Christmas holidays and got this as a lovely souvenir. You see, they're words etched into my skin by a powerful curse, and they cut back into my skin every fourteen days. If you look closely, you can see the words 'filth' and 'whore'. Shows you just how highly he thinks of me."

"At least Voldemort was right about something," Harry said nastily.

I whipped out my wand and hexed him so fast he didn't have time to blink. Boils erupted all over his face and I whispered dangerously, "I am not a whore. Neither am I filth."

Hermione looked scandalized and as if she might start crying again. Ron was appalled and Ginny looked as if she wanted to hex me for hurting her precious Harry.

"How did you get through that barrier then, if you didn't have the Mark?" Harry asked.

I shrugged. "Beats me."

For the first time, Hermione spoke up and said, "Katy has that curse on her arms. It probably allowed her entrance in lieu of the Mark."

Hermione was just absolutely brilliant.

The doors to the wing burst open and Molly and Arthur Weasley ran in, looking for their son.

At this Harry yelled, "It's all her fault! She knew, she knew!"

Molly and Arthur turned to me, but turned back to Bill, apparently not believing what Harry said. I started to cry again. Dumbledore dead and then Bill nearly worse than dead; was it really all my fault?

I walked from my bed to the double doors that led out of the wing. I was turned around forcefully by Harry who snarled, "I'm not finished with you."

I wrenched my arm from his grasp and yelled shrilly, "Oh yes you are!"

Everyone turned to look at us, but I didn't care. It was just between me and Harry right now.

"You've revealed my secret to everyone here when Dumbledore told you to keep your mouth shut! You're trying to turn everyone against me, trying to make me 'guilty by association'; I'm not going to be cowed by it! I stand by my husband, and I won't let you stand here and try and humiliate me and the man I love even further!"

And with that, I left the wing.

I ran back to my room, crying freely and making too much noise. But I didn't care. I got to my room and shut the door. I put as many enchantments on it as possible so that no one could follow me into my room for the night. I rushed Dobby out of my room, flopped down on my bed, and cried myself to sleep.

-o-

I paced the floors of the Malfoy Manor, hoping Katherine was alright. Narcissa was wringing her hands and Draco seemed stunned. But the Dark Lord was in a celebratory mood.

No doubt Potter had told everyone about us by now. Katherine was going to be alienated by everyone, even her two best friends whom I knew she loved dearly.

This had probably been the worst night of my life.

_Author's Note: So many emotions! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed and that the constant toggling between POVs was alright. That'll probably be one of the only times I'll do it though. As always, comment on what you like/don't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	94. Chapter Ninetyfour

I couldn't believe everything I was hearing. Katherine married to that greasy git? The man who killed Dumbledore and constantly made our lives a living hell?

She stormed from the hospital wing, absolutely furious with Harry and crying her eyes out. Seeing her lose control like that, even more so than when Harry had attacked her brother, made me angry.

Harry was being tended to by Madame Pomfrey and was fixed up immediately. Everyone was buzzing with the news of Katherine becoming a Snape. They couldn't believe their ears, any of them. Some of them accused her for doing all of this, she could have prevented it. I looked over at Hermione who looked more shocked than anyone here and went to go put my arm around her. She leaned into me when I did so and I felt angry at Harry for doing this to her.

_It's all Harry's fault. He made Katherine say the things that put Hermione in this state._

I was angry, angrier than I had ever been before. Much more angry than when I caught Ginny snogging Dean in an empty hallway.

_What is his problem?_

Ginny was fluttering around Harry, worried about him, but right now, I couldn't feel much sympathy for him. He deserved more than to be hexed.

"She always told me everything," Hermione whispered, and my heart shattered. She was confused and hurt by her best friend's untruthfulness, and I was too. We would have understood… Wouldn't we?

I strode over to Harry, unable to take it any longer. Hermione followed me and I bent down low by Harry's ear.

"I need to talk to you mate. Right now."

Harry looked up, not having even the slightest inkling that he was in trouble. He nodded his head and followed me out the hospital wing, along with Hermione.

I went to an unused Charms classroom and opened it, gesturing Harry and Hermione inside. I closed the door, turned to Harry, and took a deep breath.

"That was wrong mate. Really wrong."

Harry looked confused and said, "What was wrong?"

I snorted and said, "Do you really not get it? What you did back there, to Katherine. No one deserves to be treated that way."

He looked angry and said, "She doesn't deserve my respect, she just publicly put herself on the same level of her murderous husband. It makes her just as bad as him."

"Harry, she didn't cast the curse," Hermione said quietly.

Harry rounded on her and yelled, "But you heard her! She supports him for it! She's glad that Dumbledore's dead!"

I shook my head and said, "She never said that mate. If anything, she's devastated."

Harry smirked and said, "Devastated? Ha!"

"She is," Hermione insisted. "Didn't you see her? She was crying her eyes out. And when you rounded on her Harry, you made it worse. She was shaking when you were screaming at her, she looked almost about to faint."

"She was about to faint because she knew the game was up," Harry retorted. "She put on her façade well enough, she practically declared herself a Death Eater!"

"You idiot, do you not see the marks on her arms! That was an act of hate, from the man you say she supports! Think for a minute!" I yelled, fast losing my temper. I was about to blow up any second, I could feel it.

"And calling her a whore and filth? That was uncalled for!" I added on. I was especially angry at that. Everyone knew Katherine wasn't a whore, and neither was she filth. Harry was blinded by hate, consumed by it.

"How do you know she didn't fall in love with him at the end of fourth year?" Harry asked. "How do you know she wasn't sleeping with him and accidentally got pregnant? Sounds like a whore to me!"

I was ready to punch him. Katherine was practically my sister, I loved her dearly. I didn't understand anything about her situation, but I did know one thing, and that was that she wasn't stupid. She knew something we didn't, and that's why she was standing whole-heartedly behind Snape. There had to have been some other reason for Snape killing Dumbledore. There had to have been.

"Harry, you're being ridiculous," Hermione stated.

Harry turned to her and yelled in her face, "I'm ridiculous? You're ridiculous for standing up for her, for saying she's right and I'm wrong!"

My chest was heaving I anger, so I grabbed Harry by the shoulder, spun him around, and decked him. I punched him for calling Hermione ridiculous, for calling Katherine a whore and reducing her to tears. Hermione screamed and Harry staggered, his world tilting for a moment. When he righted himself, he flung himself at me. I welcomed the chance to punch him, kick him for hurting the two of them.

There was a loud BANG! and Harry and I flew apart from each other and were separated by a protective shield. Hermione's wand was out and her hand was shaking. She was crying and yelling, "We can't do this! We need to keep our tempers in check; we need to focus on what's important!"

"Yeah, like hexing Harry repeatedly until he apologizes," I muttered. Hermione heard that and threw a nasty look in my direction. I shut up.

"We need to concentrate on Horcruxes," she stated clearly.

I was dumbfounded. Horcruxes. They felt like a lifetime ago after all of this mess. This strange, dramatic mess that revolved around one small detail of someone else's life. I stood up, brushed myself off and said, "Yeah, sure."

I didn't trust myself to say more, since I thought I would start yelling again.

Harry's face contorted as if he was in pain and said, "Whatever."

Hermione looked suspiciously between the two of us and then lowered the shield. "Let's get down to business; where's the Horcrux Harry?"

_Author's Note: Thank God for Ron, I love him so much. As always, comment what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	95. Chapter Ninetyfive

The morning after Dumbledore's death, Hermione shook me awake. I blinked several times to make sure it was her and then asked, "How did you get in my room? I put enchantments on-"

"Oh, do you really think enchantments are going to keep me out?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

I eyed her suspiciously. I didn't know if she was on my side or not. Harry must have made a compelling argument after I left the night before, an argument against me. I cleared my throat and said, "So."

"So," she repeated. We looked at each other for a few seconds and she heaved a sigh. "You should have seen it after you left," she said quietly. Here it was. She was about to tell me I couldn't be trusted, about to denounce me. I braced myself for the coming onslaught.

"Ron pulled Harry into a Charms classroom and told him off for hurting you," she said while looking down at her hands. My hopes rose. Really?

"They got into a fist fight about it. Ron was really angry, saying he should have never treated you like that. But he's still really confused. I'm really confused," she said while inspecting her fingernails. She dragged her eyes away from them and looked at me.

"Katherine, what's going on?"

My heart stuck in my throat. If there was anyone to tell, it was her. But I couldn't. It would compromise Severus and might get the both of us killed if word got out that Severus really still supported Dumbledore. It was now my turn to look down at my hands, and I mumbled, "Please, please, believe me when I say I can't tell you."

She was silent for a while and then said, "Alright."

Bless Hermione. She could trust without needing the facts. Then she said, "I trust you, but I don't trust your husband."

I nodded, alright with this arrangement. This was the way it needed to be. They needed to be as distrustful of Severus as possible, to believe him on Voldemort's side.

"One more thing," Hermione said. She paused. "Your… husband. He's the Half-Blood Prince. He told Harry last night when Harry tried to use Sectumsempra on him."

My heart started racing. Of course, it all made sense now. The brilliancy at Potions, the ability to create new spells. The inclination to the Dark Arts. I brushed that last thought away. It was the least of my worries. Right now, I think I was more horrified at what Harry had said last night.

_Snape killed my mother._

"It's time for breakfast," she said. I nodded and stood up to get dressed. I put on some clean robes and called for Dobby to look after the still sleeping twins.

I walked slowly down the stairs to breakfast, my head aching horribly from all the crying I did last night. Hermione, impatient for breakfast, stayed with me until I yelled at her to just go eat. Unwillingly, she went on before me.

The corridors were empty with everyone being in the Great Hall. I got to the huge doors and opened them.

It seemed like everyone was looking at me. Everyone had accusing eyes, everyone silently damning me. It must have spread with lightning speed overnight, the major details being Severus killing Dumbledore and my being married to him. I suddenly realized that breakfast wasn't the best idea.

"Where did your husband go when he killed Dumbledore?"

"Katherine Snape. One of the ugliest names I ever heard."

"She's still wearing his ring, she must support him."

"Did you sleep your way around to good grades?"

"Did you have a party when Dumbledore was found dead?"

"Leave the castle and take your bastard children with you!" someone shouted from Gryffindor.

The nameless Gryffindor helped to clear my mind. Yes, it was obviously what I had to do. I needed to leave, to get away from this place. I looked at the Slytherin table, the only table that had remained silent the whole time. Some of them looked like they supported me. Blaise Zabini was red in the face, probably just now realizing that he had kissed a married woman over Christmas. It would have been comical if the situation weren't so horrific.

I saw Harry, and his face was black and blue. I smirked. He got what was coming to him. I yelled out to the Gryffindor table and said, "You know what, I think I'll do just that. I think I'll leave here with my bastard children and go to join my murderer of a husband."

I swept from the hall with everyone buzzing excitedly. Who cared anymore what they thought? I was leaving this place, their hate couldn't touch me from so far away.

I hurried to my room and started packing. I threw everything in my Hogwarts trunk pell-nell, trying to get out of there as soon as possible. Soon I had everything packed and put away. I picked up my children from their cribs and they were oddly silent, like they knew it was important to get away quickly without any hassle. I walked toward the door and turned around, looking at my room for the past two years. I was going to miss it immensely.

I heaved a sigh and opened the door.

The hallways were buzzing with activity, but when everyone saw me, they hushed. I surveyed the hall with my chin held high and began to walk towards the stairs so I could leave, my trunk trailing behind me.

I heard footsteps, and turned to see that everyone in the hallway was following me. I walked down the stairs and heard even louder footsteps. One more flight of stairs onto the first floor and even heavier footfalls. I could almost envision the entire school turning out for my public banishment from Hogwarts. My home.

I tried not to cry, and thankfully succeeded. Crying could be for later.

I walked through the entrance hall. The footsteps became even more numbered. It was so silent, so quiet. If it weren't for the feet, you could have heard a pin drop.

I heard a disturbance behind me and some people yelled out in surprise or anger. I didn't pay much attention to it until somebody took hold of my arm. It was Hermione.

"Please, don't go. You don't have to go back to them," she whispered frantically. "I know you're going to Voldemort, he'll just hurt you. You can't go!"

Her face was pulled into something quite tragic; she looked on the verge of tears. For one moment, I was tempted to stay, to be protected by Hermione's loving fierceness. No, it would be easier for everyone if I left.

"I have to go Hermione," I said gently. "Everyone is-"

"Who cares what everyone else thinks?" she said fiercely. I sighed and said, "It's time for me to go."

"Won't you stay for Dumbledore's funeral?" she implored. I turned a grim smile on her and said, "I think that if I attended Dumbledore's funeral, someone would bodily throw me from the grounds before the service started."

I turned back to the front door and marched through it, everyone else trailing after me as they had done floors above. However, this time, broken by Hermione's whispered pleas for me to not go, people jeered insults.

"Go back to your murderer husband!"

"Go and whore around some more!"

"Maybe her daddy will reward her for playing the part of a Death Eater's slut well."

"Go to hell and pay for what you've done!"

"Don't bother coming to Dumbledore's funeral, no one wants you there!"

At this, many people yelled fervently in agreement. One tear rolled down my cheek. Posy and Melanie clung to me desperately, about to cry from the many ridiculing voices they heard. They weren't old enough to understand what everyone else was saying, but they were old enough to realize the tones in their voices were sinister.

I reached the gates and turned around. Truly the entire school had come out for this. I couldn't believe it. One thing was for sure: hatred united all.

I turned back around and walked through the gates of Hogwarts with everyone cheering, jabbing even more insults before I could leave. I set my trunk down outside the gates and flicked my wand, sending it to Malfoy Manor.

"Hang on to me tight girls," I whispered to my daughters. One more tear.

I twisted in midair, feeling the apparition put tons of pressure on my chest. When I was released, I gulped great amounts of air and could hear my daughters doing the same. I opened my eyes and could see my house.

My mother came running out, screaming behind her that I was finally there. The front door opened and a pale, but relieved looking Severus followed behind her at a much slower pace. We couldn't have them thinking we were attached.

My mother enveloped me in her arms and was crying freely. I guess I would have cried too, but I just felt so… empty. Severus reached us after what seemed like an eternity and came to a halt a few paces away.

"The Dark Lord wishes that I take you to my home. He does not want you here," Severus said in a carefully calm voice. I nodded with difficulty, seeing as my mother was still hanging onto me for dear life. At this, my mother cried harder.

"N-n-no! I n-need you here! He c-can't send y-you away!" my mother wailed. I gently prised her off me and said, "I'll be alright mother."

"B-but you n-need someone with you wh-who l-loves you!" my mother choked out. Severus remained impassive.

"I'll be fine mother, truly," I said firmly. I turned to Severus.

"Where's my trunk?"

"I've already sent it along to my house," he replied calmly. I let go of my mother and walked over to Severus, taking his hand for apparition. I turned to my mother and said, "Tell Draco I said hi. And that I love him."

With that, I twisted in midair again, feeling the bands of pressure on my chest again. The bands popped, and I was standing in front of my husband's house on Spinners End. I looked at him, let go of his hand, and opened the door. I walked into the house and it smelled slightly of dust; I assumed it hadn't been cleaned for ages.

My trunk was sitting in the hallway. I set the girls down and they ran amuck, looking at the "new things" around them. I picked up my trunk and hauled it up the stairs, Severus following me. I opened the door to Severus's room and dropped the trunk off. I went back down stairs and Severus asked me, "What happened?"

I reached the living room where the girls had managed to get their hands on a book. Severus and I ignored this and I sat down on a couch.

"I was put in a full-body bind hex by Harry, that's why I fell behind. When the battle ended, Remus revived me and took me to the hospital wing to get me a tonic for the nerves. Harry ran into the hospital wing and, when he saw me, forced me to tell everyone about us."

Severus inhaled sharply at this but remained silent.

"He accused me of causing it all because I knew and wouldn't tell anyone. He said that I had no right to cry over Dumbledore's death since it was my husband's fault and, since I was in love with him, I was on the same level as him and his apparently murderous ways. Ron pulled him out of the hospital wing after I left and punched him in the face. Hermione woke me up this morning and told me she didn't understand, but was trying to trust me despite and urged me to go down to breakfast. When I got there, people yelled out I was a whore and to take my bastard children and join my murderer husband. Obviously it got around the school."

I took a deep breath and continued.

"I went back to my room, packed my bags and headed for the gates so I could leave. Everyone turned out for my disgraceful eviction. Hermione implored me to stay, but I told her I couldn't. And then I went to Malfoy Manor."

I felt so hollow inside as I was saying everything. I couldn't believe it had only happened about thirty minutes ago, it felt like ages. I knew it hadn't hit me yet, but it would. Severus was standing there, rubbing his temples.

"It's all my fault," he said after a while. "I left you behind, I should have made sure, I thought you were with Draco-"

I held up a hand to stop him. "I know it's not your fault Severus," I said quietly. "You needed to get out of there, and take Draco with you."

I took yet another deep breath and asked, "Why did you kill him?"

Severus was silent for a moment, looking me in the eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he said, "Dumbledore told me to kill him."

This was good enough for me. I didn't need all the facts. If Dumbledore said it, it needed to be done.

I didn't want to bring up another topic on my mind, something that had been tearing at me for a while.

"Harry said you… killed Lily Potter. He said you overheard the prophecy and told Voldemort and came back to Dumbledore when Lily and James were killed. You said you were repentant and that's why Dumbledore trusted you. Harry didn't believe this though because he knew you hated James and he saw you call Lily a Mudblood."

Severus gazed at me intently, his mind obviously blank. He was lost for words. When he found his tongue, he said, "I did hear the prophecy, and I did report back to Voldemort. When I found out it was Lily though, I went straight to Dumbledore, to ask him to protect the Potters, to protect Lily. I did call her a Mudblood though. Once. It slipped and I've regretted it since the moment the word left my mouth. When I was sixteen."

Severus paused and I thought he was done talking. I began to rise, but his next words set me back down on the sofa.

"Lily and I were friends before then, but not after I called her a Mudblood. Wouldn't have me anymore, thought I was vile for saying it and practicing the Dark Arts. I was in love with her even before then. It broke my heart."

I turned away from Severus who had clearly gone into his own little world, his past, while talking about it. He was reliving it, and hating himself. It was raw, painful and private. I didn't want to intrude. But then I figured I could comfort without intruding.

I got up and hugged Severus. I put all my love into the hug, hoping he would get the message. I could feel something wet on my shoulder as Severus hugged me back and I could tell they were tears. He was crying for Lily Potter, for Dumbledore, for the sorry state we were both in.

I felt like crying too, but one of us had to keep ourselves under control. I figured I should let him have this one since he so seldom lost his temper or cried.

_Author's Note: Seems like Katherine's done a fair bit of growing up in the last 24 hours… As always, comment what you like/don't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	96. Chapter Ninetysix

I sent out two letters the entire summer.

Hermione and Ron wrote to me in a matter of days of my leaving Hogwarts. I was touched when I received the letters and cried the entire afternoon. I was sick for my friends, the two people I considered to be like brother and sister to me. But I knew I couldn't write them.

I sent them long, heartfelt replies, telling them I couldn't write them for a long while, until this war was over. I told them I loved them and that I wished them well with their search. I got no reply back. I wondered for days if they received my letters.

I sank into a kind of depressed state. I wasn't allowed to leave the house at all. I had to take care of Posy and Melanie and Severus refused to let me leave Spinners End. He had this crazy notion that someone might track me down and kill me. Well, it might not have been completely baseless, but it was still a little farfetched.

Before the end of July, Voldemort held a Death Eater meeting where he told Severus that I needed to start attending. I couldn't fathom why he would want me there at all until I went to my first meeting.

I went to the first meeting with trepidation. Since no one was at Spinners End to watch after Melanie and Posy, I had to take them to Malfoy Manor so one of the house elves there could take care of them. We disapparated and arrived at the Manor. I looked up at my home and felt nothing. At that point, I don't think I could have called it home. In two years, I had spent maybe one month at the wretched place.

We walked up the drive and I went down to the kitchens before the meeting started to give the twins to one of the elves. I almost wished I could have stayed in the kitchens, but knew I would be severely punished if I didn't attend.

I walked up the flight of stairs that separated the kitchens from the main part of the house and made my way to the drawing room. It was dark and dim, and did nothing to help my depression or sense of foreboding.

For some reason, my eyes slid to the ceiling. I gasped in horror and almost began to cry.

My former Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Burbage, was hanging in midair above the long table that had been set in the room.

"Ah, Katherine, we have saved you a seat," Voldemort said as a welcome, gesturing towards a seat next to my husband on Voldemort's right. I walked slowly over to it, never taking my eyes off Professor Burbage. I sat down in my allocated spot and the meeting started.

"When will it happen?" Voldemort asked of Severus.

_When will what happen?_

"The Order plans on moving the boy Saturday next at nightfall," Severus answered smoothly.

But of course. The enchantments were obviously going to break soon, leaving him vulnerable at his aunt and uncle's house.

"My Lord, I have heard differently," said a man named Yaxley. I had never liked Yaxley because he was always leering at me in the most unpleasant way; but since when did I ever like any of father's "associates"?

"Dawlish let slip that Potter will be moved on the 30th, the night before he turns seventeen," Yaxley went on.

"This is a false trail," Severus interrupted. "Besides, the Auror office plays no part in Harry Potter's protection; the Order believes we have infiltrated the Ministry."

"They got that right, didn't they?" Amycus Carrow wheezed, and he laughed along with everyone else.

I didn't laugh. I was scared. They had gotten this far; but they couldn't win. They couldn't.

I looked back up at Professor Burbage.

"I shall attend to the boy in person," Voldemort said. "There have been too many mistakes."

I almost snorted with laughter. Obviously.

A wail floated up from the floor, seeming to come from the basement. I was intrigued and frightened; were they keeping someone as prisoner?

"Wormtail!" Voldemort said impatiently. "What have I told you about keeping our guest in line?"

Wormtail sulked off and Voldemort turned back to the room at large. "I shall require a wand to finish off Potter."

He looked at my father and his lips curled into a cruel smile. "Lucius, I see no need for you to have a wand," he said nastily.

"My Lord?" my father whispered, his voice hoarse. I cringed inwardly for him; God knew that relinquishing one's wand was like relinquishing the right to live and be a wizard. Father didn't look too well; he looked sickly. It was probably because he had just been broken out of Azkaban, but I suspected he would have wanted to stay there for a bit longer if it meant coming back to this.

"I require your wand Lucius," Voldemort commanded in his still impatient tone.

Father glanced over at mother who was staring straight ahead. He seemed fortified, and took his wand out of his robes. He passed it along the table and I held it for the slightest of moments before passing it to Severus. My heart was breaking for my father.

Voldemort examined it closely. "What is it?"

"Elm and dragon heartstring," Father whispered faintly.

"Good," Voldemort hissed. The hissing seemed to go on and on, and I could make out words that were not being uttered by anyone at the table.

_When shall I eat?_

Nagini came into view and many people shuffled around, uncomfortable with the snake. I recognized the Parseltongue; I had been able to hear it since I was a few years old.

Voldemort answered in the snake language. _In time Nagini, in time._

Nagini came to rest on his shoulders and Voldemort looked perfectly at ease with her. I had no problem with snakes.

Voldemort gave a flick of his wand up at Professor Burbage and she seemed to come to life. Thank God she wasn't dead.

"Severus, do you recognize our guest this evening?" he asked my husband. Severus did not answer, but Professor Burbage called out when she saw him.

"Severus! Please…"

She rotated even more in the air and glimpsed me, sending tears down her cheeks.

"Katherine, help me!"

I was startled at being addressed, and my heart clenched and twisted. I couldn't help but stare at her pitiful form, ever rotating. Voldemort must have known I took Muggle Studies. This was obviously why I was here tonight.

"Why Katherine, you know this woman? No child of mine should have ever taken her class; as you all may know, Charity Burbage taught Muggle Studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Voldemort said with contempt in his voice.

Professor Burbage rotated to face me and Severus again, begging, pleading, "Severus, please… Katherine, my favorite student… Help me, please…"

My heart was in my throat and I could feel tears rolling down my face. I knew what was about to happen; my favorite teacher who taught my favorite subject was about to be slaughtered in front of my eyes.

"Silence!" Voldemort said dispassionately, flicking my father's wand at her. She fell silent and spoke no more, no matter how much she mouthed the helpless pleas for help and mercy.

"Miss Burbage wrote an article about Mudbloods, how we should tolerate them. She says that the dwindling of Purebloods is most desirable… she would have us all mate with Muggles."

No one dared breathe, lest Voldemort turn his wrath on them. She revolved to face us one last time, her eyes pleading to save her. I was crying freely.

"Don't cry for filth Katherine," Voldemort said cruelly. "Avada Kedavra."

There was a flash of green light and someone screamed. After a moment, I realized it was me. Everyone at the table was looking at me with interest. As if there was nothing wrong with watching someone die right before your eyes and I was a freak. Severus was impassive.

I tried my best to stop crying, but to no avail. I heard Voldemort say in clear Parseltongue, "_Dinner Nagini._"

"NO!" I yelled as the snake slithered onto the table. Everyone looked at me as if I had gone mad. Under the table I could feel Severus tug on my jeans, letting me know that I should cut it out. I didn't care though.

I began to speak in Parseltongue, even though I didn't know it.

"_How dare you? This innocent woman; what has she done to you? This is inhumane to let your snake eat her for her dinner!"_

Voldemort responded in Parseltongue as well. "_I dare because I am Lord Voldemort, something you would do well to remember. I could kill you just as easily as I killed her."_

I snorted with derision. _"You're not exactly superhuman yourself."_

He smiled cruelly and said, "_Only I can live forever. I have gone farther than anyone ever has to ensure this."_

"_Please, you're just as vulnerable as the rest of us!" _I shouted.

"_As vulnerable as your two children?"_ he prompted delicately. My chest was heaving in righteous anger. How dare he?

Nagini, who had been watching us converse in Parseltongue, hadn't even taken a bite of Professor Burbage yet.

"_Sit down you silly girl," _he said warningly. I sat down slowly, afraid that if I didn't do what he said my children would be killed.

"_Nagini, dinner,_" he said firmly. Nagini slithered back over to Professor Burbage and opened her mouth. I couldn't watch this. I put my face in my hands and squeezed my eyes shut.

I heard his voice in Parseltongue again. "_Watch!"_

I felt my hands being dragged away from my face and my eyes being forced open by an invisible hand. This was Voldemort's way of torturing me, to make me watch the devouring of my favorite professor.

I can't even describe how horrible it was; but the memory will haunt me for forever.

After Nagini had finished, everyone got up from the table. I sat there for a moment, looking at where Professor Burbage's body had been moments before and felt empty. I suddenly remembered my children and went to go find them.

As I was exiting the drawing room, Mother stopped me and said, "Won't you stay for dinner darling?"

I gritted my teeth and said, "Not after having watched Nagini eat hers."

I brushed past my clearly hurt mother and stormed down to the kitchens. I scooped up Posy and Melanie and marched right back up. I found Severus conversing with some of the other Death Eaters; I went over to him and said, "I'm leaving."

Voldemort heard this and laughed mirthlessly. "No you're not," he said. "I need to give you something."

I stared at him mutely, waiting for him to speak again. He beckoned for me and I shook my head, too angry to speak. My insolence seemed to surprise him every time. Did he think I would ever be obedient to him?

"I'm going to give you the Mark," he said clearly. Everyone in the room was hushed. I situated my children on either hip and said, "No."

"No?" he said maliciously.

"No," I reiterated.

This was the point that both twins decided to speak their first words, something I had been working on for months with no avail.

"Daddy!"

Both twins were reaching out for him, begging him to take them. I looked at him and he was silently telling them no. This was obviously not the time.

"Daddy!" they said in indignant voices. They couldn't understand why he wouldn't hold them and I silently prayed they would just shut up.

Voldemort had been watching this and said to Severus, "Why don't you take your children Severus? They're crying for you."

I could see Severus struggle; this was obviously a test. I had no idea what the outcome would be should he choose to take them or not. Finally, he made up his mind and took both girls who clung to his neck. The Dark Lord surveyed this with interest and turned to me when he was done watching.

"Give me your left arm you silly girl," he said, his patience wearing thin.

I held my chin up defiantly and said, "I don't see why I need one. I'm not a Death Eater."

"But you're my daughter. How would it look if the greatest wizard in the world didn't have the support of his own daughter?"

I snorted and said, "There have been plenty of ruling figures throughout history who did not have the support of their families; why should this be any different?"

He narrowed his eyes and said, "Because I'm not like any other."

"That's for damn sure," I said sarcastically.

"How would you feel if your daughters grew up without a mother?" he said quietly. And at that he knew he had me. I tensed up and my eyes flicked over to Posy and Melanie who could sense the atmosphere was dripping with hostility. I had to do this. He knew how to control me, and I hated myself for it.

I walked slowly over to him and, when I reached him, ripped up my left sleeve to show him my forearm. The words had cut back into it the day before, so they shone brightly.

"Ah, I see my charm has managed to keep repeating itself," he said in a satisfied voice. I resisted the urge to knock him flat on his ass. He raised his wand, my father's wand, and waved it over my arm, muttering an incantation. The Mark showed up, but it was faint at first. When he kept muttering the incantation over and over, the Mark began to get stronger and I felt pain in my arm. I refrained from moving or making any noise though; I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

When he was done he put the wand away. He looked me directly in the eyes and said, "You may go."

I turned around slowly and walked away with as much dignity as I could muster. I walked out of the entrance hall onto the estate grounds and when I reached the peacock that guarded the gate, I turned around and took a twin from Severus. We apparated and went home.

I still have the Dark Mark.

_Author's Note: I had to do it. I couldn't resist! And something was pointed out to me that should have been on my mind from the start, but I didn't register, but yes, Katherine is a Parselmouth. Anyways, as always, comment what you like/don't like/or want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	97. Chapter Ninetyseven

We arrived at Spinners End and Katherine immediately tried to open the door, forgetting the Flagrante Curse I had put on the doorknob to keep intruders out. She hissed and jerked her hand back, shaking it to try and get rid of the pain. I muttered the counter-curse to the doorknob and the counter enchantments that surrounded the house and pushed the door open.

She strode inside quickly and set down the twin she was holding. She made a beeline for the stairs and I could tell she was going for the medicine cabinet full of Muggle remedies that was in the bathroom upstairs.

"Those aren't going to work," I called out. She stopped halfway up and called over her shoulder in a low voice, "Then what will?"

I set down the twin I was holding into a sort of playpen Katherine had insisted we get and hoisted the other twin over the railing.

"Don't go anywhere," I muttered to them pointlessly. As if they could escape from the tiny prison.

I motioned for Katherine to follow me and led her to my lab. I smelled something that was akin to rotten eggs and fried hair; it was my botched potion from earlier in the day. I crinkled my nose at the smell and vanished it.

"What was that?" Katherine asked inquisitively. I glanced over at the now empty cauldron and said, "The antidote to Nagini's venom I was working on."

She nodded knowingly and shuddered slightly. She was remembering the disturbing scene that had taken place in her parent's home earlier. I shuddered too. It had been revolting.

I rummaged through my cabinet, trying to find the salve that would help heal her burn. When I found the container, I opened it to smell the minty odor wafting to my nose. I turned back to Katherine who had sat down on a stool at one of my worktables. I walked over to her and took her right hand which was blistered.

I dipped a couple fingers into the salve and started rubbing on her palm. I looked up at her and her eyes were downcast, as if she was thinking hard about something. I stopped applying the salve and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked up at me and said, "No."

I could tell she just wanted to forget it. I dropped the subject and started rubbing her palm again. I worked up to her fingers and thought about the meeting we had just had. It really wasn't out of the ordinary, but Katherine had never been at one before. It was no doubt disturbing to her. I suddenly remembered something and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" she murmured, her mind obviously not on the conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me about the words cutting back into your arms?"

Her mind now fully focused on the conversation, she looked down at her fully healed hand and said, "I didn't want to bother you. You were so frustrated with it."

I sighed. What a silly woman. "I want to be bothered by this. You're not doing yourself any favors by keeping your mouth shut."

"Yeah, the first time I ever have," she muttered. I sniggered and turned serious again. "What is it supposed to do?"

She didn't answer for a minute and then said, "It cuts back into my arms every two weeks. It did it again when I went up on the Astronomy Tower."

Ah, that would have explained how she got in. A curse on her arm given to her personally by the Dark Lord would have admitted her. And that also explained why she had had blood on her hands when she entered the Tower that night. I swallowed hard and found Katherine looking at me peculiarly.

"You know, support is a two-way street," she said with raised eyebrows. "And _I _will be here when you want to talk about what happened on the Tower. If you ever want to talk."

I nodded and she hugged me briefly. I put the lid back on the salve and put it back in its respective cabinet. Katherine held out her hand and I took it. She led me out of the lab and flicked her wand in the direction of the lab door. It locked immediately. She led me into the living room and let go of my hand. The twins were dozing off in their playpen and Katherine went and picked them up. Posy reached out for me sleepily and I took her in my arms. I smiled at the memory of both girls saying their first words earlier that evening.

I had been scared, wondering what I should have done. They had cried for me, and it was hard to tell them no. The Dark Lord had tested me, and maybe I had passed. One never knew. But now I was afraid he may use them against me. Not that I wouldn't be the most obedient servant to him; I needed to be, to finish this.

I walked upstairs behind Katherine and she dressed the fussing Melanie in her bedclothes. I did the same with Posy and Katherine put them down in their own cribs. Melanie started fussing and Katherine sighed. I went to go pick her up but Katherine put out a hand to stop me and said, "You go to sleep. I've got this."

I shrugged and left the room to Katherine trying to soothe the agitated Melanie. I went downstairs into the living room and picked up a book with the half-hearted intent on reading it. But instead of reading, I opened the book and did nothing but think.

This war was getting worse and worse. What were we going to do? I could only hope that Potter and his friends knew what they needed to do, that Dumbledore had given them the skills they needed to take down the Dark Lord and to survive.

What would I do when we went after Potter? Maybe I could surreptitiously attack some of the Death Eaters, but how far would I get with that? Could I even get one without being seen?

I looked up and I saw Katherine standing in the doorway, watching me and wearing a nightgown as if she was ready for bed. "Coming?" she asked softly.

I put down my book, stood up and stretched. She had disappeared up the stairs and I followed, ready to end this awful night.

_Author's Note: Average chapter, but I had fun writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed! As usual, comment about what you like/don't like/want to see. Laveycee: I enjoyed Moldy One, I may have to work that in the story somewhere. :) Until next chapter! :)_


	98. Chapter Ninetyeight

The night before Harry was supposed to be moved to somewhere other than his aunt and uncle's house, Severus was tense. He sat in his lab, brewing the antidote to Nagini's venom and snapped at me every time I tried to talk to him. I left him alone and tried not to bother him too much. I was worried and nervous myself.

I had been designated to stay at Malfoy Manor to take care of my children and half-brother. I was secretly happy about this because I didn't want to go along. The whole night and day leading up to the attack I was worried sick about whether my husband would come home safe. I hoped and prayed for them, and Harry. Even though I hated him with every fiber of my being, I knew he was key to ending this war.

The night of, we apparated to Malfoy Manor and I held my breath. My heart pounded, even though it was about two hours until they left for the mission. Severus and I walked through the door of the Manor and he gave me the twin he was holding and walked swiftly into the drawing room. They were meeting to discuss plans about strategy and how they were going to kill Harry. I made my way slowly to Draco's room because I knew he would be there rather than the meeting. It had been decided a few days before that he was not to join them.

I set both girls down outside the door and knocked. "Come in," I heard Draco say. I opened the door to see his sitting at his desk, seemingly writing a letter. When he saw it was me with Posy and Melanie, he stuffed the "letter" back into his desk and said, "Hey. What's up?"

I raised my eyebrows at the secrecy, but said nothing. Draco had always been a secretive person, so this was nothing out of the norm.

I sat on his bed and flicked my wand at the door, closing it. "Nothing," I said while lying down on the bed. I closed my eyes for a moment and wished I could sleep while someone else took care of the children. I loved my children to death and raising them was extremely rewarding, but it was tiring work. I felt a tugging on my hair and opened my eyes to see Posy's hands reaching up, asking in her own way to be lifted up onto the bed. I obliged and Melanie cried, "Mommy!" I did the same for her and both twins were laughing as they walked around on the bed and fell multiple times.

I turned around to Draco who was watching the twins. He seemed really interested in what they were doing, which was strange since he never took much interest in my children.

"Would it have been like that?" he asked. I didn't have to ask what "it" meant; he was thinking about the baby Pansy had been pregnant with.

"I guess so," I shrugged. "There's no way to divine one person's experience from another person's."

He nodded and said, "Alexander is in the room next door." A dark shadow crossed over his face and I could tell he wasn't happy about his room backing up to a baby's. He was probably annoyed with the constant crying and such. I slid off the bed and walked over to the door with the intention of going to get Alexander. I opened the door and said, "By the way, that's exactly how it would have been, no matter what."

I went over to the room next door and saw one of the most beautiful nurseries I had ever seen. I couldn't believe that it was so light, compared to the parents of the child. Friendly creatures had been painted on the walls whose background was baby blue. The crib, placed in the center of the room, had a handsome, unattended baby lying in it. He was fully awake, but wasn't crying at all. In fact, when I approached the crib, he looked extremely cognitive and inquisitive of his surroundings and his new visitor.

I was shocked with how much he looked like me. He was me in miniature form, but obviously as a boy. He could have been a twin who was seventeen years younger than me. But instead of the violet eyes I had, he had dark brown eyes that almost looked black in color.

I picked him up and felt immediately comfortable. This was my half brother, my flesh and blood. It was weird, but… comfortable. I could tell that Bellatrix did not love her son by the way he was treated, just from the simple things I noticed about the room. Firstly, he had been unattended. While this is acceptable, it's only fine for short periods of time. She knew she was going to be away from him for hours and didn't call for a house elf to care for him. It could have been argued that he had been set down for bed, but he had no bedclothes on. Bellatrix truly did not care about her son.

Secondly, there were no toys in the room. It was really quite bare except for the crib and a dresser. That meant Alexander had nothing to play with, which meant Bellatrix did not care if her son was bored out of his mind or had any fun.

"Why does she treat you this way?" I murmured to Alexander. He replied by resting his head on my shoulder contentedly. My heart clenched for this unloved child. I hoped my mother was showing him some affection, the affection his mother should, but would not, give.

I walked back to Draco's room where he was entertaining Posy and Melanie with puffs of smoke coming from his wand. They clapped in glee and laughed. I smiled and went to resume my seat back on the bed.

The door opened and Severus popped his head in. I was surprised to see him; was he coming to say goodbye? My heart started racing and wild thoughts ran through my head. _Would he come back alive? _seemed to be the biggest question. He looked at me and said, "The Dark Lord requests your presence."

He left and I wondered what that had been about. I set Alexander on Draco's lap and promised to be back soon. I walked down the hallways of my parent's house and came to a stop outside of the drawing room. I was apprehensive; the last meeting I had gone to, I had been forced to get the Mark, I saw my teacher get murdered and eaten in front of my eyes, and Voldemort had threatened my children's lives.

I squared my shoulders and walked through the doors. Everyone's head turned to look at me; I stared back and walked over to the only empty seat in the room, the one next to Severus who was at Voldemort's right hand side. I sat down and Voldemort immediately said, "You will join us tonight when we go to kill Harry Potter."

"What?" I screeched. I looked around the table and everyone seemed to be disturbed by the decibel level I was yelling at, so I lowered my voice and said, "What do you mean?"

"You will help us in our mission," he said calmly. "Now, when we get-"

"Excuse me," I said. He turned around slowly to look at me, and everyone seemed appalled that I had interrupted their leader. I didn't care though.

"I can't fly," I stated. And I truly couldn't. In my first year in flying lessons, I had fallen off my broom more than Hermione and Neville combined. Thankfully I had never been too high up from the ground, so I never broke anything.

"That is inconsequential," Voldemort said through gritted teeth. "If you fall off your broom it won't be a huge loss to our ranks. You will go."

My heart sank. There was no way I could stay on a broom, and there was no way I couldn't go. I was going to literally fall to my death. When the meeting was over, everyone, galvanized by strategic planning, bounded out of the room, ready to murder Harry once and for all.

I hung back for as long as I could, hoping that maybe they would forget about me. Voldemort, last to leave with Severus, looked over his shoulder as he was leaving the room and told Severus, "Get your wife. She is not exempt."

Sullenly, I crossed my arms over my chest. I was sick of this. I wasn't a Death Eater. Moreover, I was scared out of my wits. I was surely going to die.

Severus walked over to me swiftly and whispered, "Can you truly not fly?"

I nodded, "I've never flown where I haven't fallen off my broom."

He gave me a concentrated look and he said, "I can enchant your broom to make it where it follows the crowd and you don't have to steer. Just hang on tight."

I nodded, my throat constricting. I wasn't prepared for this and still wasn't entirely convinced that I would be safe once up in the air. At least my family would be safe. Draco wasn't going because they didn't believe him ready, Mother wasn't a Death Eater, and Voldemort was carrying Father's wand.

I wondered what motive Voldemort had for making me go last minute. Maybe it was to only hurt me, but maybe there was something else. I sighed, uncrossed my limbs and followed Severus out to the front garden of Malfoy Manor. I was handed a broom, my brother's Nimbus 2001. I cringed at the memory of Draco announcing he was the Slytherin seeker and the commotion that ensued. Hermione was called a Mudblood. Everyone on the Gryffindor team tried to kick Draco's ass, and Ron ended up puking slugs. I chuckled at the last part, but the rest of the memory was still pretty horrible.

I mounted the broom slowly and felt it revolt against me. Brooms could always tell when they had an inexperienced rider, or someone who was afraid. Since I was both, it was ready to buck me off at any minute; I hadn't even left the ground yet. I took a long, shuddering breath. I heard murmuring behind me and immediately felt the broom turn friendlier and like a guiding hand. Instead of being angry at an inexperienced rider, it seemed to welcome me and seemed keen on helping me. I drew a long, heavy breath of relief. Bless Severus.

Voldemort gave the order and we all kicked off at once. I gripped my wand tightly, hoping nothing would go wrong. Hoping that no one would die.

I followed the rest of the crowd with my broom doing most of the work. With its help, I was becoming a better flier every minute. In no time at all, we had a run in with Order members and… seven Harry Potters?

They were all zooming around on brooms and thestrals, and one was even on a motorbike. I looked and saw that it was Hagrid, so it must have been Sirius's enchanted motorbike. They were all dressed alike, had rucksacks and each had a snowy owl in a cage. It was impossible to tell the real Harry from the fake Harrys.

I looked at the guardians who were protecting the Harrys. None of them were Ron and Hermione, so I was sure they were both fake Harrys. Spells flew past me and I was oblivious to all of them until one grazed my cheek. I looked in the direction that the spell was cast and saw a fake Harry's shocked and remorseful face. That face had Hermione written all over it.

This was the closest I had been to my friends since Dumbledore had died. I had the strongest urge to follow them to safety, to keep myself safe and leave Voldemort forever. I was so tempted… But I couldn't. My mind made up, I decided to take down as many Death Eaters as I could.

I fired spells at the nearest Death Eaters, not intending to kill, but to disarm. I saw one Death Eater send a jet of green light to the Hermione-Harry and was infuriated. My blood boiled in my veins as I disarmed and Stunned him, sending him going backwards off his broom. Satisfied, I could see Severus send a spell towards a fake Harry that cut his ear off. I was horrified.

A Death Eater sent a Stunning spell at me and I deflected it. They must have seen me Stun the other Death Eater and wanted revenge. I smirked as I zoomed away from them. The broom resisted me a little at first, but allowed me to make my own choices. This was a wonderful charm that Severus had put on the broom.

The motorbike left the scene completely while the others were still fighting. I knew that had to have been the real Harry, his safety would have been the most important. I wondered why Harry wouldn't have been on a broom, or with an Auror; but then I realized that they had thought about that and probably put him on the motorbike with Hagrid so the Death Eaters wouldn't have been too keen on chasing him.

I stayed out of the fight mostly, trying to stay on the outskirts and not attack anyone. Soon everyone in the Order seemed to vanish, leaving the scene of the battle to find refuge somewhere, and Death Eaters followed others. I followed the one I knew to be Hermione half-heartedly. My left forearm started to burn and I couldn't fathom why until I remembered that it was probably the Mark. He was calling us back to Malfoy Manor. I felt my heart in my throat. I sincerely hoped they hadn't been successful.

I flew back to the ground and just apparated to Malfoy Manor since I had no idea where I was and had no way of flying back. I apparated onto the grounds and slowly walked to the Manor. Most of them weren't back yet. My mother flew to me and cried.

"Thank Merlin you're safe!" she choked out. My father looked vastly relieved and Draco stood next to him with his nieces standing at his feet.

"Where's Alexander?" I wondered aloud. "Asleep in his room," my mother answered in a muffled voice. I pried my mother off of me and heard thunderous footsteps behind me. I whirled around and saw Severus. Instantly relieved, I asked coolly, "Where's everyone else?"

"They're on their way," he said evasively. "Jugson is dead, but no one knows how. Alastor Moody is dead as well. The Dark Lord dispatched him himself."

I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth. "Really?" I whispered through my fingers.

"Yes," he said unfeelingly. "The Dark Lord was unable to kill Potter though."

Feeling surged back through my limbs and I was relieved. "Is anyone else dead?"

"No," he said, giving me a look that clearly told me he knew I was concerned about Ron and Hermione. More Death Eaters burst through the front door and all of them looked extremely frustrated.

"How could we not kill any of them other than Moody?" one of them was yelling. I smirked. Everyone in the Order was obviously more skilled at dueling than any Death Eater. Except for maybe Severus and Bellatrix. Bellatrix was a powerful witch with no conscience. If I were to ever duel her, I think I would die of a heart attack before she could cast the killing curse.

Melanie was standing in front of me, reaching out to me and saying, "Up!" in a commanding voice. I obliged and Posy did the same to Draco. He did so with a smile and she laughed when he made faces at her. It would seem he had bonded with them in the time we had been gone.

Voldemort came crashing into the entrance hall and he had a murderous glint in his eyes. I retreated against a wall in hopes that he wouldn't come after me. Draco and the rest of my family had the same idea. A brave man approached him and said, "My Lord, Jugson is dead."

"What? Jugson? What do I care? The only thing I care about is the fact that Harry Potter still lives!"

"My Lord, I thought you would like to know who killed him," the man continued.

"Spit it out Avery before you end up like Jugson!" Voldemort spat.

"Your daughter My Lord," Avery said triumphantly.

My eyes grew wide and every eye in the room sought me. I didn't kill anyone! My heart started racing and Voldemort approached me, his face mere inches from mine. It took all I had not to recoil.

"Is this true?" he said in his most deadly voice.

"No," I said clearly with a voice I hoped didn't waver.

Avery piped up and said, "She lies My Lord. She disarmed and Stunned him, making him fall off his broom and plummet to the ground. He died on impact."

I drew breath sharply and remembered hitting a Death Eater with a Stunning spell. I didn't know he would die. I just wanted him to back off Hermione since he tried to kill her.

"Well?" Voldemort said, his face coming ever closer. I set Melanie down on the ground since she was fidgety and said, "He attacked one of my friends. He tried to kill her, so I Stunned him. I didn't know he was dead."

Voldemort screamed in my face with fury and took a fistful of my hair. He dragged me away from the wall and not for the first time that night, I felt fear in my heart. I knew something horrible was coming, and I was scared witless. My mother looked on silently, afraid to say anything. Severus had no emotion on his face. To all of them, I was just another student.

Voldemort pulled me to the middle of the room and threw me on the ground, brandishing his wand. "Why couldn't you have fallen off your broom?" he screamed. His eyes were scarlet slits shining with fury, his chest was heaving with indignant anger. "I think it's time I taught you a lesson girl!"

"Fine!" I shouted back, courage welling up in me from some unknown place. "Kill me! It won't help you win your war though! It won't bring back Jugson! He deserved to die!"

"You insolent chit!" he howled, sending the Cruciatus Curse on me. My limbs were on fire, it was pain I had never experienced before. It was even worse than the time he had questioned me about who had given me Occlumency lessons. I writhed in pain and screamed. I could distantly hear crying somewhere. When the curse was lifted I could see my two daughters crying, being held back and shielded by Draco. Bless him.

I sat up and Voldemort seemed to be pacing, muttering under his breath. "Physical pain won't teach her… Emotionally…"

A light bulb seemed to come on in his head; he pointed to Draco and said, "Bring the two children to me."

"NO!" I yelled, pushing myself up off the floor, wand in my hand and ready to fight. There was no way in hell I would let him harm my children.

"QUIET!" he bellowed. "Draco! Bring them to me!"

My heart burned in my chest as Draco led the girls to him. I made to run to them, but Voldemort pushed me back with his wand. "Severus, control her!" he ordered.

Looking like he hated himself for it, Severus came over to me and held me where I was. I watched Voldemort angle his wand carefully towards my daughters and I was seized with a fear I had never known before. This was more than my personal safety or fear for my husband, who could easily defend himself if need be. These were my daughters and they were my flesh and blood; and they were defenseless.

I struggled against Severus who seemed intent on keeping me where I was. I had the vague thought that this was what Lily Evans must have felt when she was guarding her child. But she had never put her child in danger by doing something as dumb as I had.

"Crucio!" Voldemort cried, and my daughters dropped to the floor, like marionettes whose strings had been cut. They cried out in pain, and my fear and franticness intensified. I struggled even harder against Severus who held me fast. I couldn't see his face or know what he was feeling and wondered what he was thinking.

"Stop! Stop it!" I was sobbing. "Crucio!" he screamed again, and I felt like my heart was breaking in two, like it was being ripped from my chest and stomped on. My two little girls were calling out for me and Severus, screaming and yelling from the pain they felt. I struggled even harder and finally managed to free myself from Severus's grasp. I ran to my daughters and dropped to the floor, pulling them close to me as I got the full brunt of the next curse. I didn't feel much though; my body was numbed to the thought of keeping my daughters safe, of keeping them out of harm's way. I had failed as a parent to keep my children from danger. I was crying, and they were crying with me as the curse seemed to go on and on for eternity. Finally, the curse lifted and I slumped forward with my daughters still tightly clutched to my chest.

"Get out of the way you silly girl," I could hear Voldemort saying behind me.

"No," I said in a muffled voice, my face buried in their hair, kissing them on their heads intermittently to reassure them. I tried to promise them that no pain would come their way ever again, if I had to die for it. Seeing my little girls shriek from pain… it had been the most horrifying experience of my life. It was quiet for a few minutes and I looked up. Voldemort was standing in front of me. I looked up at him with no fear in my eyes and he looked at me with interest.

"I have not seen too many people with your bravery. Maybe you're not so worthless after all."

He turned to my mother and father and said, "It's such a waste that you raised her to be so soft. She could be such a crucial member."

I said nothing, hoping that if I didn't run my mouth he would let us go.

"You are not off the hook for having more children since Bellatrix has had hers. Leave me, I am finished with you. Next time, I will not be so lenient," he said dismissively.

I stood up with my children, my legs like jelly. I walked towards the front door; it felt like it too eternity to get there. Once out the door, I apparated, not caring at that moment whether Severus was following. I got to Spinner's End and murmured all the counter spells. I opened the door and walked in. I shut the door quickly, set my children down and redid all of the protective spells around the house and ushered the girls up the stairs, who were now extremely quiet. They were no longer crying, but seemed extremely tired. I dressed them in their bed clothes and set them in their cribs where they fell instantly asleep. I sat in their nursery for a while, making sure they didn't wake up.

I thought about a lot of things as I sat there. I thought about inadvertently killing a man. For some reason, I didn't feel anything. I thought about Severus slashing off the ear of a fake Potter. I thought about Voldemort telling me to have more children. I couldn't chance this. This would mean more innocent lives to torture, possibly kill. This would mean my absolute solidification of my outcast status. And I was only seventeen. Severus was not ready for more children, I knew that for sure.

I had to make a plan to keeping myself from having children without having to get myself fixed. I heard soft footsteps at the door of the nursery. I turned to see Severus in the doorway. I turned back to watch the twins sleeping rather peacefully.

I felt two hands on my shoulders and a voice in my ear. "They'll be fine," he said soothingly.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I said, "But it's all my fault. It was… the most heart breaking thing I had ever seen…"

A hand appeared in front of me and I took it. Severus gently lifted me to my feet and pulled me into a hug. I cried a few tears and I could feel a few drip onto my shoulders and head.

"I know," he said in a choked voice. "But you did what you thought you had to do. We all did."

I nodded into his shirt and looked up at him. He kissed me briefly and led me from the room, closing the door as he did so. "Let's get some rest."

I nodded again, a plan to keep myself from having any more children already formulating in my mind.

_Author's Note: I had to make Voldemort make good on his threats. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Gollen6: You wanted to know what Katherine looks like; I have placed many different hints about what she looks like throughout the story, but if you don't want to go back and look for them, you can look at the cover picture for the story which is on the left of the story information box at the top. It's what I've imagined her to sort of look like, but with curlier hair, violet eyes and plum lips. Or look at a picture of Tom Riddle from the second movie, but in girl form with violet eyes and plum lips. Either one. :) As always, comment what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	99. Chapter Ninetynine

On August first, the Ministry fell into the power of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

It was a frightening day for anyone who had any sense. Rufus Scrimgeour was murdered and Pius Thicknesse was named the new Minister for Magic. Pius Thicknesse was Voldemort's puppet, so essentially, without outright claiming himself as Minister for Magic Voldemort was the Minister of the entire Wizarding Great Britain. It caused great fear and speculation; no one knew who to trust, and no one knew who was behind the disappearances and murders. It was a terrible time.

While this was going on, the Muggleborn Registration Commission was in full swing. It was a committee dedicated to rounding up all the Muggleborns and questioning them on whom they stole their powers from. It made me sick to my stomach. I asked Severus what would happen to the Muggleborns who couldn't prove they had a close Wizarding relative, but he wouldn't answer me. He just shook his head and turned away. I cried for the Muggleborns who would be forced to go on the run, and the eleven year olds who would be excited about going to Hogwarts, only to never see their families again.

Only about a week afterwards, Severus came home to tell me that he had been made Headmaster of Hogwarts. He was pissed off about this and told me so.

"Who ever asked me if I wanted to be Headmaster over those whiny bastards!" he said broodingly over a glass of scotch. "No one, but because I have experience at the school, I have to be Headmaster. And all of the other teachers will revolt against me. Do you know how hard that's going to make running the school?"

I giggled slightly and said, "Severus Snape, when have I ever known you to care what other people think?"

He seemed not to hear me and went on. "Along with Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They're going to teach the "Dark Arts" and Muggle Studies which will now be mandatory for everyone."

I snorted. "I can assure you that neither of them knows anything about Muggles."

He gave me a grim smile and said, "They don't need to. All the material they need is their prejudiced beliefs. 'Muggles are like dirty animals.' 'When the new world order is set in place, Muggles will be subservient and wizardkind won't have to hide anymore.'"

He laughed humorlessly, downed the rest of his glass, and made off to bed, muttering and grumbling the entire way.

I wasn't called to any more Death Eater meetings for the entire summer. I didn't envy Severus who had to go to every single one and was called to Malfoy Manor often even if there wasn't a meeting. Usually on the days he went to Malfoy Manor, he came home and poured himself a strong drink.

I was extremely nervous every time he left for a meeting. I hoped he would come back safe and sound, and was never disappointed. At some point, I think I stopped being so apprehensive. I was still concerned for his safety, but after so many meetings of him not being found out, I suppose I was lulled into a false sense of security. Note the word false.

One night, I felt the Mark burn on my arm. I looked over at Severus who shook his head slightly, telling me that Voldemort had not told him he wanted me to be at the meeting. I was highly relieved. He stood up, kissed me, and left. I went back to reading my book, glancing up every now and then to watch the girls play on the floor, making small objects zoom to them. When it got later, I put the twins to sleep in their room and went back to reading. When it got to be eleven at night, the time Severus usually came home, I started to get worried. Then it became midnight. Not able to sit there and read, I decided to get up and take a shower.

The shower did absolutely nothing to relieve my fears. I tried reassuring myself, telling myself that nothing was wrong. I got out of the shower, dried my hair and donned some clothes. The minute I had pulled my shirt on, I heard a frantic knocking on the front door. My heart pounding in my chest, I raced down the stairs and looked through the peephole. I saw my father supporting the limp form of my husband. Gasping, I unlocked the door, but thought better of it and relocked it. What if they were imposters? I had to know.

I raced upstairs for my wand and flew downstairs, ready this time. I unlocked the door, opened it and pointed my wand directly at my father's heart.

"What in the world?" he said loudly. I tried thinking of a question, something no one but him would know…

"What's my middle name?" I asked. I had certainly never told anyone my middle name; I considered it to be a matter of the utmost shame.

"Ursula," he answered swiftly. I cringed; I hated that name with a burning passion. My mother had loved it and, lamenting the fact that she couldn't give it to me as a first name since naming rights had been taken by Belinda, made it my middle name.

"Alright, fine," I muttered and stepped aside. My father walked over the threshold, dragging Severus along in his wake. "Up here," I motioned, and had him take Severus upstairs, flicking my wand behind me to close and lock the front door. Father heaved Severus onto the bed and I turned the lights on.

Severus's condition was thrown into sharp relief and I gave a little gasp. He had cuts and bruises everywhere, with a black eye and swollen lip. There were places on his body where the cloth of his robes had ripped and bloodied, and I started taking off layers to assess the damage underneath. Severus was turning more and more deathly white every minute, so I hurried as fast as I could. When he was down to his shirt, I ripped it off with trembling fingers.

A huge gash running a couple inches deep had dibs on most of his chest, with some smaller cuts around it. I put a couple fingers at his neck to check his pulse. It was faint, but I could feel it; he had obviously lost a lot of blood. I swore under my breath and turned to my father who was standing in the doorway.

"How do I heal him?" Now that I thought about it, this was a serious flaw in my magical education.

He threw his hands in the air and said, "I don't know."

I swore under my breath again and ran towards the door, shoving my father aside as I ran for Severus's lab. There had to be something in there to help.

I unlocked the room and bolted in, rummaging through cabinets and drawers, collecting different kinds of potions, unguents and creams I thought would help. I ran back upstairs with my arms full of bottles and canisters. I looked at the first one. Blood Replenishing. That wouldn't help until I had closed the wounds, which I had no idea how to do. I had to run through a couple more bottles until I found one that looked promising, a salve for cuts and bruises. I started applying it to the biggest cut, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on it; it started gushing whatever blood Severus had left in his body.

"Damn it!" I bellowed. I rounded on my father. "What did they get him with?"

"Some Dark Magic, I don't know," he responded, looking frightened. I ran a nervous hand through my hair. So that was why the salve wouldn't work; this wasn't a regular cut or bruise. I ran back downstairs, hoping to find something that would aid me. I circled the living room and spotted the book shelf. I immediately started to greedily pursue the titles, hoping for something to help me. When nothing seemed to, I let out a sigh of fury and ran back into his lab. The blood flow was probably continuing and Severus was probably losing the little life he had left…

I ran over to the one bookshelf in the room and read the few titles. Halfway through, I saw one about healing magic. I yelped in triumph and flipped through until I found the section about healing Dark Magic wounds. Vulnera Sanentur… It sounded slightly familiar.

I ran upstairs, book still in hand and clutched my wand tightly. I wasn't sure how well this would work, and I was leery about using a spell I had never tried before. But it was now or never, seeing as Severus was hovering on the line between life and death, surely if he lost anymore blood…

I sucked it up and started whispering, "Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur…"

Little by little the huge gash seemed to be going away. I kept it up until it was closed up and seemed to be mostly healed. The other lacerations healed quicker, but the bruises were still there. And I had no idea how to check if he had broken any bones. I sighed my relief that he was at least not losing any more blood. I found the Blood Replenishing potion and uncorked it. A strong smell met my nose and I recoiled. I wasn't sure how much I should give him, but there was very little left, it seemed to be. I decided to give what little was left. Since he wasn't conscious, I had to clumsily tip the potion down his mouth. Immediately, color returned to his face.

I took the original ointment and started dabbing it on his bruises, which were black, blue and purple. They started turning yellow almost immediately and looked days old. I wondered if it would work on his black eye too and tried it; to my delight it did.

"You're awfully concerned about him," I heard from the doorway. I had forgotten that my father was there. Without looking up or thinking, I said, "Why wouldn't I be worried about Severus?"

It was silent and I didn't think too much about it. I was busy healing my husband. I fished around in my mind for a spell I had heard about in passing that helped with busted lips and broken noses. When I remembered it, I pulled my wand out and murmured, "Episkey." His lip healed and he almost looked exactly how he had left the house before.

"You called him Severus," my father said behind me. I froze. "Yeah. I guess I did."

"I thought you resented him," Father said. I wished he would shut up.

"Guess not," I said in a low voice. I turned around and walked over to the door to get some bandages for Severus's torso. My father followed me down the stairs and into the lab.

"I wonder how two people can love each other when they're so divided on such an important issue," Father mused. My brow furrowed and heart quickened. I had to say something that would make him believe we didn't care about each other; it could be disastrous if anyone thought we did. I flipped my hair out of my face as I looked for some gauze and said, "I don't know how you came to that conclusion."

"Please, don't think I'm stupid," Father said in a rather snippy voice. I looked at him and his eyebrows were raised, his arms folded neatly over his chest. This was a problem. If anyone knew that we cared about each other, it would reach Voldemort. And Voldemort, who knew nothing of love, would think Severus had merely gone soft and think he was on Dumbledore's side. Which he was, but we couldn't have them think that way. I wildly invented something and said, "We don't talk about it. The war."

Father nodded in what seemed like understanding and I pushed on, strengthened by this.

"He fully supports Voldemort and thinks I'm horribly wrong. One time when I was tortured by Voldemort, I ran to him for comfort, but there was none to be found. He said I deserved it for running my mouth about the cause."

The lie fell easily from my lips, and I didn't feel much shame. I had to keep my family safe. I lied again.

"The night Jugson died, we had a huge fight. He asked me how I expected us to win the war when I was defying them at every turn. I laughed in his face. He wasn't happy about it."

Apparently I worded my lie just right and said it in just the right tone, because my father seemed furious. "He wasn't?" my father said. His teeth were gritted and his hands clenched into fists.

"But he's never hurt me," I said quickly.

"You better be sure about that," he said in a low voice.

"I'm sure," I said firmly. "And we've decided to never talk about the war."

He seemed to relax an infinitesimal amount and uncrossed him limbs. I went back to looking for bandages when I heard a cry from upstairs; one of the girls had woken up. I swore under my breath and turned to my father.

"Would you mind terribly?" I said in a pleading voice. He shook his head and left the room to tend to the twins. I breathed a sigh of relief and finally found the bandages I was looking for. I headed back upstairs and passed the nursery on my way to Severus and I's bedroom. I could see my father holding his grandchild, and cooing to her softly. I smiled and went on to tend to my husband.

When I got to the room, he seemed to have woken up slightly. His eyes were half-open, but he forced his eyes wide upon my entry.

"How did I get here?" he whispered. His eyes were cast about, as if he was looking for his wand to defend himself. I felt pity and said, "My father brought you here. Can you sit up so I can bandage you?"

He complied and swayed dangerously. I ran over and caught him before he could fall over; he was deathly pale again.

"Guess I didn't give you enough Blood Replenishing," I muttered. He chuckled darkly.

"What happened?" I asked as I started to bandage him, his head propped on my shoulder. I could feel his body tense up under my hands and he said, "The Dark Lord went to Malfoy Manor and was extremely livid. Apparently things are not going the way he expected. He didn't even give any reason; he just attacked to take out his anger."

"You would have thought someone killed Bellatrix with the way he practically mauled you," I murmured. He chuckled again, but was cut off by the bandages constricting his torso. He took a deep breath and said, "I guess you found out how to fix me up."

"Yeah," I said, concentrating on tucking in the last bit of the gauze. I eased him off my shoulder and said, "It seems like they should teach that kind of stuff in school, but they don't. It doesn't seem right. They'll teach you how to jinx someone, but not heal them if they're in need of healing."

"I agree," Severus said as I lay him back down against the pillows. "It seems silly."

I rummaged through the many bottles I had brought up from his lab and saw the ghost of the smirk he usually wore on his face. "I didn't know what I would need," I said defensively. I found more Blood Replenishing potion and gave it to him. He drank some of it and then I handed him some Dreamless Sleep potion. He downed it gratefully and then drifted off to sleep, breathing easily.

I cleaned up around the bed, picking up the discarded bottles and potions I didn't use, making sure to remind myself to clean the sheets covered with dried blood as soon as possible. I walked back down the stairs and into Severus's lab, depositing the flasks and bottles on a worktable. I didn't dare put anything back for fear of putting something where it shouldn't be; Severus was very picky about his lab.

I walked back out and walked to the kitchen to make myself a cup of strong tea. I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see my father. I motioned him to sit down and he slid into a chair thankfully. I washed my hands off in the kitchen sink and then busied myself making tea. I glanced at the clock; it was 2 AM. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. When the tea was finished, I poured some in two cups and handed one to my father. He accepted it wordlessly and sipped it.

We sat there for a while, not saying anything. Father was the one to break the silence with, "The twins are growing fast."

I nodded my agreement, but didn't say anything. We sat in silence again.

"Will he be alright?" my father asked after a few minutes. "Yeah, I think so," I said after some consideration. "I think he'll need a lot of rest, but other than that, he'll be fine."

"That's good," Father replied. After a few more minutes of silence, he said, "You were very cool-headed and calm. It was interesting to observe."

I snorted and said, "I don't know what you were observing, but I was verging on a panic attack. Definitely not calm, cool and collected."

"I think you were more collected than you think," he said with a piercing stare. For the smallest of moments, I was reminded of Dumbledore. But the color of the eyes was wrong; heather grey was no substitution for electric blue.

"You've grown up in such a short period of time. You're not the same coddled girl who lived with mum and dad, but now a woman taking care of your own family and protecting them."

I sniggered morosely. "If only we could go back to the way things were. Before the war."

"But then you wouldn't have this," he said softly. I smiled and said, "I guess not."

Father drained the last of his tea and stood up. "I must get back to the Manor. Your mother is probably waiting and worrying."

I stood up as well and walked him to the door. I hugged him good bye and said, "Send mum and Draco my love."

"Will do," he said shortly. I opened the door and he walked out, apparating as soon as possible. I sighed and closed the door, locking it and redoing all of the enchantments on the house. I walked back up the stairs to check on my children and husband.

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updating guys! I had the WORST time writing this, because every time I sat down I got horrible ADD and ended up doing something else. Anyways, it's up now, so I hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	100. Chapter One Hundred

After I came home from the Death Eater meeting almost dead, I took a few days to recover. After recovery time, I was swamped with Death Eater meetings and Headmaster duties for the new school year that was beginning in a week. I was gone before Katherine woke up every day and home just right before she went to sleep. When I came home, she would yawningly pass me a plate of food, give me a peck on the cheek, and go to bed. It was lonely, and I missed my family for that week.

A couple nights I would creep into the nursery with the pretense of checking on the girls and would end up staying for half an hour, just watching them. During those long days, I missed their smiles and laughter terribly. Then I would go to bed and wake up in the morning to do it all over again.

The night before school started was tense. Katherine didn't want to go back to school for the first time and almost begged me to let her not go.

"Think about it! I can stay here, and take care of the girls. And you can come home at the end of the day to your family, instead of living in that drafty castle. I don't need my seventh year, I'll be-"

"Fine?" I sneered. "Wasn't there a time when you cringed at the thought of living out an uneducated life while others displayed their brilliance? I thought you loved school."

Katherine bit her lip and said, "I just don't want to go back."

"You're going. You'll thank me later," I said with finality. She stormed out of the room in a huff and refused to speak to me for the rest of the night. I added salt to the wound by opening the door to our room and dumping a bunch of books on the bed.

"These are your school books," I said, beginning to stride out the door. I heard a dull thud next to my head and looked down to see a book lying open on the floor.

"Oops," she said in a mean voice.

"You're still going," I said flatly.

"That's what you think."

I shook my head and closed the door behind me. The next morning was the worst part.

I woke up and got dressed. I shook Katherine and said, "Wake up."

She curled into a ball and shook her head sleepily. I rolled my eyes and yanked the covers back, as she crinkled up her nose in dislike. "No," she said stubbornly.

"Wake up!" I commanded. She shot up like a rocket and said, "I'm not going, and that's that!"

"Oh yes you are," I snarled. I couldn't believe she was acting like a child! I got two arms around her and pulled her out of bed with her fruitlessly grabbing onto the first thing she could get her hands on to keep her tethered to the bed. Sadly for her, she accidentally grabbed her pillow instead of something like the headboard. I smirked and set her on the floor.

"Get dressed," I ordered. She glared daggers at me and made to get back into bed. I pulled her back by the waist and said, "If I have to dress you and put you on the train myself, I'll do it. We can do this the hard way or you can act like an adult. Your choice."

I crossed my arms over my chest ad she stared at me resentfully. She suddenly spun on her heel and strode towards the closet, dragging out her Hogwarts trunk and throwing at on the bed. I smirked in victory as she opened several drawers in the dresser and started throwing clothes pell-nell into it. She looked over her shoulder at me as she was picking up underwear and socks and said, "What are you still doing here?"

I snorted and said, "Do you think I can trust you to pack and get dressed without just going back to bed? Please Katherine; you're the most stubborn woman I know."

She narrowed her eyes into slits and resumed packing with full gusto so she was done in ten minutes. Then she got dressed. I nodded my approval and went to wake up Posy and Melanie. I got them dressed and followed them down the stairs to breakfast.

"Good morning!" I heard Katherine say brightly. I was glad she was back to normal, but then realized that she was crouched down to hug the girls and wasn't looking at me at all. She enveloped them in her arms briefly and then picked them up separately to put them in chairs around the table.

I sat down in one of the chairs as she busied herself with breakfast and coffee. For someone who had been coddled all her life and had house elves always making her food, she had been surprisingly good at cooking. She let me wonder about this for a while until bursting the illusion by telling me she had snuck down into the kitchens to help Dobby all the time when she was younger.

"So, you're just going to ignore me now?" I questioned. When she didn't answer me, I figured she wouldn't start talking to me until later that night when she was too tired to be angry at me anymore.

I shrugged mentally and helped myself to breakfast. At 10:20, she left the house to get on the Hogwarts Express.

_Author's Note: I can't believe it's been 100 chapters! It just makes me so excited for all the chapters that are to come. Thank you for everyone who has stuck with this for the three months I've been working on this. Wow, doesn't seem that long! Anyways, as always, comment on what you liked, didn't like, or want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	101. Chapter One Hundred and One

I had a fight with Severus the day I was "supposed" to get on the Hogwarts Express. He literally woke me up at the crack of dawn and ordered me out of bed. Well, not being one to take orders well, I curled into the fetal position and shook my head, too sleepy to utter words.

I could practically feel him roll his eyes behind me. Then he brutally ripped the covers from the bed, exposing me to the cold morning air. I hissed and said, "No!" I could feel myself acting like a child, but couldn't care less. I didn't want to go back to Hogwarts.

"Wake up!" he said forcefully. I shot up from the bed and said, "I'm not going, and that's that!"

Severus's face contorted in fury and he pulled me from the bed, determined to make me get on the train. I tried to grab onto something to keep him from making me part from the comfort of the bed. Unfortunately, I grabbed my pillow, not something that would actually help me. He set me on the floor and told me to get dressed. Making one last attempt to stay at Spinner's End, I tried climbing back in bed.

Severus sighed in aggravation and hooked an arm around my middle to yank me away from the bed. "If I have to dress you and put you on the train myself, I'll do it. Or you can act like an adult. Your choice."

I glared at him and then marched to the closet, dragging my Hogwarts trunk out. I would have rather liked to see Severus _try _and put me on the train himself, but he would probably have been rather scary. So I opted to "act the adult". I flung my clothes and shoes and schoolbooks in the trunk. As I was reaching into the dresser for socks, I looked over my shoulder. He was still there.

"What are you still doing here?" I said nastily. He smirked in reply and said, "Do you really think I can trust you to not climb back into bed when I leave? You're the most stubborn woman I know."

I rolled my eyes and finished packing. My trunk was practically bulging and wouldn't close, as trunks do when you don't pack them neatly. I flicked my wand to sort everything nicely. I snapped the trunk closed and started to get dressed. When I was dressed in Muggle clothes, Severus nodded his approval and left the room. I dragged my suitcase downstairs and could hear Severus rousing the girls. I threw myself into making breakfast, trying to let off some steam. I couldn't believe he was forcing me to go to school. I said I didn't want to go, and was adamant about it.

I had a good reason for not going. I would have no one, and I mean _no one_ to talk to. Everyone would hate me and give me the silent treatment for a crime I myself did not commit. I would have no friends. Except for Pansy and Draco. But they were so wrapped up in themselves and their relationship; it was hard to garner their attention for longer than five seconds.

And all of the Slytherin's hated me out of habit since I was a Gryffindor. No doubt everyone else in the school would hate me for my husband killing Dumbledore. I had truly no one to go to. Hermione and Ron had been the last people who really trusted me and got me, but even towards the end they were a little leery of me, not able to understand everything that was going on. To them, Severus was still the bad guy. They had no inkling of what Severus did for our cause. And Harry had turned on me months ago, not caring if I was fundamentally a good person, but made me guilty by association.

I heard the girls coming down the stairs and crouched down to greet them when they got in the kitchen. "Good morning!" I said warmly as I hugged them briefly. I didn't look at Severus, I was still angry from the way he went about extracting me from bed that morning. I gave the girls breakfast and in what seemed like five minutes, but was forty-five in real time, I left the house to get on the Hogwarts Express.

I pulled my trunk through the front door and locked it behind me. I stared out at the street, a view that I had come to know well since I could only look out the windows of the house, never leave it. Severus had been very clear that I was to never leave the house unless it was with him.

I apparated to a point close to the train station and felt cold and cheerless. I could see Dementors all around, trying to feed on sadness and despair. I couldn't see any Patronuses in the area, and wondered how I was going to be able to shoulder my way through the chilling mist. I thought back to the day during my sixth year where we had learned to conjure Patronuses.

"_Can Muggles see Patronuses?" Ron inquired without raising his hand._

"_Your hand, Mr. Weasley!" Severus snapped. "As for your question, no, Muggles cannot see Patronuses."_

If Muggles couldn't see them, I decided to perform the charm. "Expecto Patronum," I whispered, and out of my wand shot a regal looking dragon. He looked at me once and I had the fleeting thought that his eyes looked rather like Severus's. The thought disappeared though when he nodded his head to me and turned it to look at the station. I checked my watch. 10:30.

I started to walk to the station and felt warm next to the prancing dragon. I knew I should fear the creature, but I felt immense affection for it. He was a friendly presence, a helping hand. I walked, smiling for the first time that day, to the station. I entered King's Cross and everyone seemed rather gloomy. However, when my Patronus and I walked by Muggles, they seemed to brighten up momentarily until the Patronus's range of happiness left them.

I encountered other people who stared at my dragon, and I knew they were wizards. They stared at me as well. It was probably well known by this time that my husband had been the one to deal the fatal blow to Dumbledore, the leader of the resistance. I wouldn't know. Severus never let me read the paper after reading about the Muggleborn Registration Commission.

People glared at me outright and some fingered their wands under their sleeves threateningly. I held my head high and wondered why Severus hadn't just taken me to the castle instead of making me get on the train.

I reached Platform 9 and saw the dividing wall between Platforms 9 and 10. I gripped my trunk tightly as I slid through the wall and found myself on Platform 9 ¾. It wasn't as loud and bustling as I remembered. Many people walked somberly, and more parents were crying than I had ever seen before. They weren't eager to be parted from their children since they believed that they would be safer with them at home. I sympathized and my heart twisted for these mothers unable to let their children go because they feared they would never see them again. It almost made me physically ill.

I soldiered on through the crowd, with many people looking at me, loathing and resentment etched on their faces. One person threw himself down at my feet and started sobbing.

"Please!" he said in a choking voice. "He has my wife; I don't know what's happened to her! Help me get my wife back!"

My heart contorted with pity as I looked on this man. He was unshaven and his clothes weren't pressed, as if the absence of his wife meant to cease looking neat. I could see a little boy somewhere near him who greatly resembled him, who looked forlorn and on the verge of tears. To see his father reduced to such a state and his mother going missing was nothing short of traumatic for him I was sure.

"I- I don't know," I stammered, not able to take my eyes off the little boy's tragic face. The man jumped up from the ground and held his wand to my throat.

"Don't you lie to me!" he yelled in my face, spittle flying everywhere. "You know where she is, don't you?"

"Truly, I do not," I said, almost crying myself. He gave a strangled cry and made a slashing movement with his wand. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the blow, but none ever came. I opened them to see Draco standing there, his wand unsheathed and staring down at the man who he had just knocked off his feet with his Shield Charm. Hand shaking, he put his wand away.

I ran over to him and clutched his robes, burying my face into his chest. I was terrified; I had no idea anything like that would ever happen.

He peeled me off him and grabbed my trunk, leading me out of the muttering crowd, and away from the weeping man who was being comforted by his equally as tearful son.

"Who was that man? Do you know what happened to his wife?" I asked Draco in hushed tones.

"No," he said, and I could tell he was telling the truth. "The Dark Lord disposes of those in his way, and sometimes those people never see the Death Eaters, only the Dark Lord."

I was puzzled. Did that mean that he was operating alone currently? And what was such a secret that he couldn't send his hordes of Death Eaters to do it so he could sit back and enjoy his new world being built before his eyes?

I boarded the train with Draco and he dragged my trunk to a compartment with Crabbe and Goyle. I opened the door for him and Crabbe said, "No, nuh-uh."

"What?" Draco snapped.

"She's not welcome here," Goyle supplied.

Annoyed, I said, "You know what Draco, I don't mind. If your friends want to be childish, I'll let them be. I'll go find another compartment."

I took my trunk from Draco forcefully and found an empty compartment. I opened the door and threw my trunk inside, not even bothering to put it on the rack above the seats. I looked out the window and waited for the train to leave the station.

I felt the train start up underneath the floor and the faces on the Platform pulled away from my window. Even more mothers were crying. The train picked up speed and eventually we were leaving the station. I breathed a sigh of relief and settled into my seat. I looked at the glass door and people were watching me through it unashamedly. They were staring at me, and I stared back at them intensely.

At some point, they thankfully got tired of watching me and went away. No one came to sit with me in the compartment. People in the beginning of the ride lugged their trunks by, looked through the door and moved on hurriedly. I tried to let it not hurt me so much, but it stung.

I fished around in my trunk for a book to read and pulled out my new Muggle Studies textbook. I looked at the title and it was _Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pureblood Society._ I felt sickened and put it back in my trunk. I settled on my new Transfiguration textbook and rested in my seat, opening it to read about the spells we would use this year.

About 45 minutes later, the trolley came by for lunch. Absolutely starving since I didn't have any breakfast earlier, being too angry to eat, I opened the door eagerly. I bought plenty of Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron Cakes. When I was about to go back into my compartment, Ginny came out of hers a couple doors down. We stared at each other for a minute and then I slunk back inside my compartment. I ate my food alone and in silence. For the rest of the trip, I did nothing but read my new school books, only punctuated by bathroom breaks and telling off a couple of fourth years for trying to set off a Dungbomb outside my compartment. They merely laughed their heads off and scampered away. I thought momentarily about hitting one of them with a jinx, but thought better of it. It wouldn't do to lose my head when so many people around didn't like me.

Night fell and the lamps were lit. I got up and changed into my Gryffindor robes and smirked at the irony. At the time I needed companionship most and everyone was banding together, I was being shunned from the bonding. Nothing like great timing.

The train slowed to a stop and I tucked my books back in my trunk. I hauled my trunk off before everyone else and was the first to jump into a carriage. People walked past me intentionally and the carriages filled up fast. Soon only second years who were extremely frightened of me were left and a few climbed into the carriage, avoiding eye contact. I saw the little boy from the train platform whose father had thrown himself at me. He looked at me for the smallest of seconds and I gave him a kind smile. He gave a shriek of fear and leapt out of the carriage, searching for someone else to ride up to the castle with. Some of them followed suit, but the braver ones stayed and loudly initiated conversation between them, letting me know that I wasn't allowed to join in. I moodily folded my arms over my chest and the carriage lurched forward.

We reached the castle and the second years jumped from the carriage immediately. I slowly got out and patted the thestrals on the nose as I walked toward the castle. I entered the doors and, keeping my turtle's pace, I shuffled into the Great Hall. Everyone was rather subdued and it was as if I was attending a funeral. Hurrying my pace, I sped along the tables in the hall to get to the Gryffindor table. Halfway up was an empty space and I sat down there. People scooted down the benches to get away from me. You couldn't help but feel rejected by the entire Wizarding world.

I sighed and the Sorting began. Since the only room left at the Gryffindor table was near me, all of the first years came to sit next to me. They looked at me with open interest, and some smiled at me. Clearly the news of my heritage and marriage hadn't reached their ears. I was immensely grateful for the fact that not everyone in the school was turned against me. Yet.

When the Sorting was over, everyone looked up at Severus, the now Headmaster to see if he would say anything. He merely nodded his head and the food appeared on the tables. I was ravenous and started piling my plate with almost illegal amounts of food. The first years started talking among themselves and I turned to a little girl who had sat on the stool for a good three minutes. She reminded me slightly of Hermione. She had bushy hair and her teeth weren't all that straight but she could manage them into a brilliant smile. Her eyes were extremely telling and she had a cute little button nose. It was like a shard of glass was thrown into my heart looking at this eleven year old.

"Hello," I said, giving her a smile.

"Hello," she said shyly, blushing heavily.

"What's your name?" I questioned politely.

"Cassie Fairchild," she said tentatively with a small smile.

I grinned. "I'm Katherine. I'm a seventh year." I looked down at myself and then raised my eyes to meet Cassie's. "Even though I may look like a third year," I added on with a deprecating smile.

She gave a little laugh and I laughed with her. "Are you the first to come to Hogwarts?" I asked her. She didn't seem to have siblings.

"Yes and no. I'm an only child, so there won't be any after me," she said while tucking into some fried chicken.

"Ah," I said in a knowing voice. "I have a brother, but he's in Slytherin. See, over there, with the blonde hair?"

I pointed Draco out discreetly and she nodded solemnly. "Yes, I saw him on the train. A lot of girls thought he was cute."

My face cracked into a devilish grin and I asked, "And what do you think?"

"I think that if I wasn't eleven years old he'd be cute," she said seriously. I laughed out loud at her remark; how adorable!

I pulled my face into something more businesslike and said, "Yes, I know what you mean. I understand."

I smiled again and this time she smiled for real, one of her really pretty smiles, like when she had been Sorted into Gryffindor.

"Are you happy to be in Gryffindor?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "My mum was in Hufflepuff and my dad was a Ravenclaw. I was expecting one of their houses, but I guess Gryffindor is better than Slytherin."

She seemed to realize what she had said and her eyes widened in horror. "But your brother- I mean-"

I giggled and said, "It's ok. I don't really like too many people in Slytherin."

And with that she relaxed. We talked for the rest of the feast and I was glad to have found a friend in my house. Everything was cleared away and all eyes turned to either me or Severus. I determinedly looked up at the Staff table until Cassie tugged on my sleeve.

"Why are they looking at you?" she whispered.

"No idea," I fibbed.

Severus got up from the table, cleared his throat, and the whole Hall went silent, and at last every eye was turned to him.

"This year we welcome two new teachers. Since I left my Defensive Against the Dark Arts post, Professor Carrow will be taking it. And since Professor Burbage retired-" his eyes flicked over to me for the smallest of instants, "we have found a new Muggle Studies teacher. Professor Carrow will be taking the post and, as you should all know by now, the class is now mandatory."

He cleared his throat again and said, "Stay out of the Forbidden Forest. Mr. Filch had posted a list of numerous things that have been banned from school property on his office door, so if you are in doubt, visit Mr. Filch."

A collective shudder went through the second through seventh years. Everyone knew that paying a visit to Filch would be an affair one would like to forget, even if it was to look at a paper outside his door.

"Furthermore, Quidditch this year has been cancelled. There will be no Quidditch Cup or House teams of any kind. All other activities have not been cancelled until they give the staff sufficient reason to end it. Professor Slughorn will take over Slytherin Head of House duties."

He paused and then said, "You are dismissed."

There was a deafening scraping of benches and prefects jumped up to help the first years. I directed Cassie over to the Gryffindor prefect with promises that I would see her tomorrow at breakfast. Everyone slowly filed out, but I dawdled. When the Hall was pretty much empty, I hurriedly left so as not to be caught and punished by teachers.

I walked quickly to the third floor and pushed open the door to my room. But it wasn't set up as it used to be. In fact, there was nothing in there at all. There was no bed, no dresser, no writing desk. Nothing. Puzzled, I turned around to walk out and check that I hadn't entered the wrong room, but collided with something very solid. I started to fall backwards, but strong arms caught me and I knew instantly that it was Severus.

Once I had been righted, I looked up at Severus and asked, "Where is my room?"

He smirked and said, "Follow me."

I followed him to the first floor, getting more and more confused by the minute. All of a sudden we reached the stone gargoyle that protected the Headmaster's office.

"Pureblood," Severus muttered and I stared at him in amazement. He shrugged and said, "It needs to be a show."

I nodded and started to ascend the spiral staircase. I reached the door and looked behind me. Severus nodded and I pushed the door open. I walked through the door and Severus followed me. He closed the door behind him and ushered me to a bookcase, but I stood transfixed in front of the desk. There was Albus Dumbledore.

It wasn't really him, it was his portrait, but I still was fascinated. "Professor Dumbledore," I breathed.

"Ah, Miss Malfoy," he said with a warm smile. "How was your summer?"

I was rather taken aback, but replied, "It was alright. I-"

I broke off, not exactly sure what to say next. He nodded and said, "I suggest you get some sleep before the first day of school." I felt Severus's hand on my lower back and he said, "I couldn't agree more."

He steered me towards a bookcase and tapped a certain book with his wand. The bookcase slid open to reveal private chambers. I gasped and Posy and Melanie came running towards me. I grabbed them in my arms and hugged them tightly; it was like I hadn't seen them for an eternity.

"Alright, alright, everyone needs sleep," Severus said loudly, a thinly veiled attempt at telling me that I needed to let go of the twins. I did so and took their hands and led them to cribs in a room on the right of the main chamber. I set them each down in separate cribs and they smiled up at me. I smiled back and kissed them both, wishing them goodnight as I closed the door.

I turned around and Severus wasn't in the main chamber. A door was slightly ajar across the room and I walked to it to peek inside. Inside Severus was getting dressed in pajamas and I pushed the door open. He turned around momentarily and resumed getting dressed. He pulled on a shirt and buttoned it up as I rummaged in a dresser for a nightgown.

"So," I prompted, extracting a gown from the dresser and throwing it down on the bed as I loosened the tie to my uniform.

"So?" he asked innocently.

I stopped undoing my tie and said, "Why am I here and not on the third floor as I've always been?"

He shrugged with his back turned to me and said, "What's the point now? Everyone knows and your father is alright with it. And it's not like you'll be missed in Gryffindor Tower anyways."

My eyes started to well up and I turned away, pulling off my robes. I knew he didn't mean what he said, but it still hurt. He was right; I wouldn't be missed in Gryffindor Tower. The only Gryffindor friend I had was Cassie, and she wouldn't have even been in my dorm.

He must have noticed how rigid my form was and realized it was from what he said. In a matter of seconds, I felt his arms around me and heard a whispered apology in my ear.

"It's alright," I said in a choked voice. "You didn't mean it. Besides, I'll be happier here than in Gryffindor Tower or the third floor."

I could feel him nod and he kissed my neck, leaving me to finish getting dressed. Once I had slipped on my nightgown, I got in bed. I snuggled up to Severus and felt him go to sleep almost immediately. I was wide awake. My mind was whirling from everything that had happened that day. I wondered if I should tell Severus about the man who attacked me at the station, but thought better about it. He would just worry about me and restrict me from ever doing anything again.

I lay awake all night, my stomach turning from what I knew I had to do on the first day of school. I had been planning it for weeks, but I could feel my resolve weakening. This was something I had to do, but I almost couldn't find it in myself to do it. It might not even come to fruition, depending on if the person I was going to ask the favor of was willing. I got no sleep. At dawn, I silently got out of bed and got dressed. Extremely tired, I yawned and almost woke Severus up. I froze while he stirred, but then he went back to sleep.

I tip-toed out the door and found some parchment. I wrote Severus a note, telling him that I had woken up early and that I went for a walk to clear my head. I opened the door to the study and found that most of the former Headmasters were snoozing in their frames. Dumbledore, however, was fully awake and smiling at me. I approached him as I had the night before.

"Up so early?" he inquired.

I shrugged. "More or less; I couldn't sleep."

"Sleep evades the most troubled of people," Dumbledore said wisely. I nodded mutely because nausea was rising in me as I thought of what I was going to have to do in a few short hours.

"Do you want to talk about what is troubling you?" he asked kindly.

I sucked in breath and let it out, deciding on whether or not I should tell him about the train station.

"Well, yesterday, this man, at Platform 9 ¾; he, well, attacked me."

Dumbledore nodded. "Go on."

I took a deep breath and said, "Well, he said that 'he' had taken his wife and that I knew where she was. He wanted her back desperately, and his little boy was crying in the background. When I told him I didn't know where she was, he shoved his wand in my face and tried to hex me, but Draco got there before he could."

There was a pause in which I think Dumbledore might have thought I wasn't finished. But when he saw that I wasn't going to go on, he spoke.

"And you're afraid that other people might have such a reaction if and when their family members are taken?" Dumbledore prompted. I nodded, my throat having swelled to an uncomfortable size.

"You'll just have to hold your head high and keep a good Shield Charm up your sleeve," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"Easier said than done," I muttered. Then I realized how childish that sounded and looked up to say something, but Dumbledore was smiling all too knowingly.

"You'll do fine. And I daresay that not many people will take shots at you, knowing who you are."

I felt slightly relieved, and slightly sickened at the same time.

"Well, I have to go Professor. Thanks for talking to me," I said with a smile.

"Any time Katherine," Dumbledore said airily.

I waved goodbye and left the Headmaster's office. I walked down the stairs into the corridor and walked all the way to the Entrance Hall. I stopped in front of a stained glass window, looking out at the grounds with the sunlight that was now streaming through. I smiled. I loved Hogwarts in September. The air was crisp and cool, the leaves turned into beautiful golds, yellows, and oranges. The sunlight shone through each and every window, giving one the sense of cheeriness. It seemed that everything the light illuminated or touched became instantly more beautiful.

I heard people milling about in the Entrance Hall and figured it was time for breakfast. I turned around to enter the Great Hall and saw Cassie. I called out and waved to her, but she took one look at me and darted off in the other direction. Confused, I asked aloud what could have happened overnight.

"She got some sense knocked into her," I hear a loud, familiar voice. I looked around and saw Ginny giving me her best sneer.

"She knows now that she was consorting with the Headmaster's wife and that she was talking to the daughter of the man who is trying to destroy us all. Needless to say, she understands that she shouldn't be talking to such a person. No one can blame her for not understanding last night. After all she is just a first year."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and I felt tears burning in my eyes. "You are a wicked woman," I said in a low voice.

She pulled her face into something that spoke of hate and said, "It's not wicked if you're telling the truth."

And with that, she walked away. I swiped at my eyes, trying to rid them of the tears that had formed there. I thought about running up to the office, crying in Severus's arms and demanding that he take me away from Hogwarts. But after a few deep breaths, I calmed myself down and walked into the Great Hall. I would have eaten in the kitchens, but we got our timetables at breakfast.

I sat down at the end of the Gryffindor Table and ate silently with everyone occasionally stealing glances at me. As breakfast was winding up, McGonagall came down the table and handed out timetables as she went. It was slow business, and it was forever until I got my timetable. Everyone had left the Hall, and I was the last person there, save for a couple Ravenclaws and a Slytherin. McGonagall came over to me and frigidly asked me what classes I was going to take. I had decided to take all of the same classes from last year and saw her flinch slightly when I said I was going to take her class. My heart broke.

She tapped the parchment paper and handed me my timetable, leaving immediately for her classes. I looked at the parchment and saw I had Herbology first.

I rushed down to the greenhouses and made it there barely in time. Everyone else was silent and wouldn't look at me. We filed in and I stood nearer the back for the first time in my life. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. Professor Sprout called roll and then started on her lesson. She asked a review question about Venemous Tentactula and Neville and me's hands shot up right away. She called on Neville and then asked another review question, this time about Snargaluff's. No one seemed to know the answer, so I tentatively put my hand up.

"Yes, Miss Malfoy," she said.

"She's not a Malfoy anymore," I heard Ernie Macmillan say hatefully. I closed my eyes momentarily and then opened them, staring straight ahead. I answered the question calmly and then didn't raise my hand for the rest of the class.

When class was over, I slowly packed my bag so no one would think I was bothered. If I had rushed out of there, they would have thought Ernie's comment had gotten to me. I exited with the last couple of people and then looked at my timetable. I had an off-period. It was now or never.

I walked to my destination with lead feet and opened the doors. Madame Pomfrey looked surprised to see me.

"What's the problem?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Madame Pomfrey, I have a huge favor to ask you," I began. I told her exactly what I wanted her to do and she looked shocked, even disgusted.

"No! Absolutely not!" she said vehemently.

"Please," I pleaded. "I need you to do this. I've been thinking it over and there's no other way."

I told her my reasons and she softened up.

"I supposed I can do that for you dearie. But you have to promise to be careful."

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! Gollen6: Yeah, I feel the same way. I just feel so emotionally connected to Katherine; I know I'm going to miss her when this fic is over! Unless I write a sequel, but if I do I would take time off from Katherine and Sev for a while. Anyways, as always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	102. Chapter One Hundred and Two

I woke up to a cold feeling and opened my eyes for the source of the lack of warmth. The bed was empty, save for me and I wondered what Katherine had gotten to. I stood up and walked to the main room. No sign of her. I walked over to the twin's room and saw them sleeping soundly. Again, no Katherine. I was getting worried and walked back into the main room, closing the door behind me.

"Katherine?" I called out. Then my eyes fell on a neat little slip of parchment on a side table. I picked it up and read it.

_Severus,_

_I had to go for a walk to clear my head. I'll see you later today._

_Katherine_

I shrugged my shoulders and went back to my room to get dressed. When I was finished I strode out into the office and immediately glanced over at Dumbledore's picture. He smiled at me over his half-moon spectacles and I felt like I was being x-rayed. He had that uncomfortable effect on everyone. I went down to breakfast and saw a teary-eyed Katherine sitting at the Gryffindor table. I wondered what had happened and sat down at the Headmaster's seat in the very middle of the Staff table, my Deputy Headmaster and Headmistress sitting on either side.

Amycus Carrow leaned over and said, "Pretty wife you got there," while eyeballing Katherine. I tensed up and had the strongest urge to smack him, but said, "What do I care?"

"You feel nothing for _that_?" he asked incredulously. I saw Minerva McGonagall go extremely rigid and knew that she was listening in.

"Please Amycus, I don't wish to talk about this," I said firmly. I knew that it was essential for everyone to think that we didn't feel anything for one another, but I was greatly tempted to reveal everything to let Amycus know that if he so much as looked at my wife the wrong way, I would knock him senseless. But it wouldn't do to reveal everything after how Katherine had lied to her father to keep my cover.

It had scared me a little to know how easily she had lied to him, the man who raised her. As if she had no qualms about lying to someone she proclaimed to love deeply.

Alecto chimed in by saying, "Amycus, have some respect. Besides, it's not proper to ogle women a fourth of your age indecently from across the room."

I wanted to die.

I sneaked a peek at Minerva and I knew she could tell how uncomfortable I was. She was silently shaking with laughter. I wanted to snap at her and let her know this was definitely not a funny situation, but couldn't find a way to tell her that. The Heads of Houses got up after a while and started handing out timetables and I saw that Katherine was the last to get hers. She stood up and sprinted out the doors, apparently late for class. I got up from the Staff table and sauntered to my office.

It was strange being in the office that I had thought as Dumbledore's for the past sixteen years. It almost gave me the creeps. I checked on the girls and saw that Dobby was already tending to them. I nodded my approval and went back into the office. The day was actually rather slow, and at lunch I was rewarded with another glance at Katherine from far away. She looked paler than usual and sickly. I wondered what could have happened and thought that maybe it was from what had happened earlier that morning to make her cry.

I locked that question away, determined to ask her about it later that night. I went back to my office and instead of actually trying to work, I just played with the twins the entire afternoon. There was no work to be had for me, so why waste my time sitting in the office doing nothing?

I went down to dinner and saw Katherine yet again. She looked even paler than before and slightly green too. I tucked into dinner and didn't notice when she left the Hall. I looked up and she had vanished. I finished dinner and left for my office to see if she was there.

I opened the door and heard her say in a shaking voice, "I couldn't do it Professor; I couldn't lie to him."

"Couldn't lie to whom?" I asked loudly and concernedly.

She whipped her head around and dashed a couple tears from her cheeks. "It's nothing," she said quickly.

"It can't be nothing if you're crying about it," I said, annoyed that she wouldn't talk to me about what was bothering her.

"It's a secret," she blurted, as if it would keep me from delving further.

She was keeping something from me?

_Author's Note: I decided to milk the suspense a little bit longer and not tell you guys this chapter. :) (insert evil laugh) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	103. Chapter One Hundred and Three

I left the hospital wing with a heavy heart and heavy feet. I went to spend my free period in the library and lifted a book from the shelf with the full intention of reading it. But instead of reading and processing the words on the page, I sat there staring at the book and thinking about what I had almost done. I was glad I hadn't gone through with it; it probably would have torn him apart. Imagining the look on his face if I had gone through with it was enough to keep me from doing it. It had been a selfish thing really. But I guess you could say it wasn't… What was right and wrong was all jumbled up nowadays.

The bell rang and I grabbed my bookbag, on my way to Muggle Studies. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the class, but went anyways. It wouldn't do to skip class on the first day.

I walked into the room and noticed it was extremely gloomy. It felt like the potions classroom when Severus had taught the subject, but less freezing. There were pictures on the walls of Muggles contorted in pain and serving wizards who sat on thrones. I crinkled my nose in disgust and my eyebrows knit together. This was horrid.

I took a seat at the front of the class, something that had been ingrained in me since the first day of school; unless I consciously thought about sitting somewhere else. Others filed in, all seventh years, and they slowly filled up the back to the front, avoiding me. It was Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, and eventually Neville came to sit by me, looking extremely uncomfortable. I sighed and turned my attention to the front of the class.

"Hello class. My name is Professor Carrow," grinned the teacher. She was a dumpy witch who had most of her teeth missing and seemed to rather leer than smile.

No one responded, but that didn't seem to deter her. She went right on.

"Take out your books and we'll begin the lesson," she smiled gleefully. If you could call it that.

Everyone reached into their bag for their books and pulled them out, most of them looking at their books in intense dislike and thumped them on the desk.

"Now, who can tell me what a Muggle is?" Professor Carrow asked.

Mandy Brocklehurst's hand shot up and recited, "A non-magical human being."

"Precisely. Now, can anyone tell me why wizards are in hiding?"

Everyone seemed to stop breathing for a minute, waiting for someone to answer the question. They all knew that whatever the correct answer was, would not be right, for Professor Carrow would twist it to fit her own Pure-blooded agenda.

When no one spoke for a good two minutes, Professor Carrow became agitated and turned to me.

"You should know the answer; you're bright," she said eagerly.

She was probably hoping for me to respond with the line of Muggles having driven us into hiding and being filthy creatures, and that we, the superior race, should force them into subservience. But I didn't say anything for a while. I just sat there and thought out all my options.

"Well?" she urged, becoming annoyed with my silence.

"I think," I said slowly. I turned to Neville, who wouldn't look at me, and then turned back to Carrow.

"I think," my voice becoming stronger with conviction, "that this is a trick question."

Carrow's eyes narrowed dangerously. "How?" she questioned in a low voice.

"You're waiting for someone to come up with the right answer and then target them as a Muggle-lover so you can know who to start punishing first for silly offenses. And then if someone gives what _you _deem to be the right answer, then they'll be disliked by all their peers. It's a lose-lose situation for the students either way. There is no correct way to answer this question."

"Detention," she said softly. "For being mouthy. Eight o'clock tonight should do it."

"If you call telling the truth 'mouthy'," I muttered under my breath. Carrow didn't hear it and moved on. I could feel Neville relaxing beside me and he glanced over at me for the smallest of moments. I knew I had made a victory.

"Muggles drove us into hiding! Because they're stupid and filthy; they can't understand us, so they drove us to this. But there's no need to worry children, the natural order is being reestablished, soon, wizards won't have to hide anymore. Muggles will be put in their place and they'll bow to the will of the wizards," she said triumphantly.

Neville tensed beside me and called, "How much Muggle blood have you and your brother got then?"

Everyone in the room gasped and it seemed that there was no air to be had. My chest tightened and Carrow slashed her wand towards Neville's face. A gash appeared on his cheek and blood started gushing from it.

"That's what happens when you talk back," Carrow said loudly to the class. Neville clapped a hand to his face to staunch the blood. I wanted to help him but wasn't sure how. Carrow went back to teaching and Neville made to stand up. I grabbed his hand, suddenly thinking of a spell, and made him sit back down.

"What?" he snarled in a whispering voice.

"Do you trust me?" I asked from the corner of my mouth.

"Not particularly," he said meanly.

I shrugged. "Good enough. Hold still, I think I can fix it."

I positioned my wand under the table and pointed it to his face.

"Episkey," I muttered and the slash on his face healed instantly. He touched it in wonder and looked at me as if he had never seen me before. Carrow noticed the bleeding had stopped and I stuffed my wand back into my robes.

"What happened?" she asked, peering at his healed cheek.

"What's it matter to you?" he asked in a petulant voice. I was staring mutely ahead and Carrow turned to me.

"Healed him up, did you?" she asked softly. "Gave him a reprieve from his punishment?"

I said nothing, just sat there, silent and still as stone.

"Well then, you can take the punishment for him," she said, slashing her wand across my face. I could feel the blood pouring from my left cheek and she looked satisfied with her work.

"If I see this healed, I'm going to give you a week's worth of detention, and you're not going to like that at all, pretty," she said viciously. She turned and started her lesson back up. I looked over at Neville and he wouldn't look at me at all. I felt the blood pouring down my face and spilling over onto my neck and collar. My white blouse was certainly ruined by now.

The bell rang mercifully and I gathered my things in a measured fashion and stood up to walk out. I felt slightly dizzy but went on. It was time for lunch and I went out the door and made my way to the stairs. Other students looked at me with peculiar looks on their faces. I could feel the blood beginning to clot, the cut starting to not bleed so much.

"Wait!" I heard someone call out. I turned around and Neville was running toward me.

"I'm sorry," he panted when he had caught up with me. I drew myself up to my full height, which wasn't much, and said, "There is nothing to be sorry about." I walked away and Neville caught up with me.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I brushed him off and said, "I'm fine. I just want some lunch."

I entered the Great Hall and took my seat at the end of Gryffindor Table. I covered my blood-stained blouse so no one would see it, but kept my face the way it was. I was turned in such a way that I assured myself that Severus wouldn't be able to see if he looked down from the Staff table. I finished lunch quickly and made my way to another Carrow lesson.

The classroom was just as dark and gloomy as his sisters and it was decorated just as it was when Severus taught DADA last year. With pictures on the walls showing people in pain or had horrible injuries or contorted body parts. I flinched at one picture where a woman was huddled against a wall and had a blank look in her eyes. I remembered this was the picture where a woman had been Kissed by a Dementor. I shuddered and sat down at the front of the class, Neville apparently opting to sit by me now, possibly feeling guilty for earlier. Gryffindors and Slytherins piled into the room in pairs and trios, waiting for the lesson to start. Carrow emerged from the shadows and said, "I am Professor Carrow and I will teach the Dark Arts."

Lavender Brown raised her hand tentatively and asked, "I thought this was Defense Against the Dark Arts, sir?"

Carrow snorted and said, "There's no need for that anymore. The curriculum has been adjusted to fit the needs of today's society. I will now be teaching the Dark Arts. Today we will be learning how to use the Cruciatus Curse."

There was a collective hiss that went up in the room, half horror and half excitement. I turned around and saw Crabbe and Goyle rubbing their hands together expectantly, waiting, itching for their turn. Draco looked positively white and Pansy was looking to be on the fence about it. All the Gryffindor's were outraged and I felt sick. Carrow pointed at Neville and said, "Come here."

Neville slowly got up from his chair and walked over to Carrow. Carrow looked him dead in the eye and said, "Me sister tells me you were giving her a hard time in her class about an hour ago. That's not to be tolerated."

He spun Neville around so he was facing the class and yelled, "Crucio!"

Neville was on the floor, writhing in pain. I couldn't bear to watch. Everyone sat there, transfixed in shock a horror, not daring to say anything lest they be next. Crabbe and Goyle were watching with delight, and it was the sight of their stupid faces shining with malicious glee that sent me over the edge.

"Stop it!" I thundered, standing up. Everyone turned to me, open-mouthed and their faces projecting confusion.

My veins were coursing with anger and hatred. I couldn't believe this was what Hogwarts had come to. Torturing students on the first day of school for minor offenses and cowing the other students into silence.

"What?" he asked delicately. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I noticed with relief that he was too distracted by my insolence to keep the curse concentrated on Neville.

"I said to stop it! This is vile and cruel; you have no reason to be doing this!"

"Detention!" he proclaimed. "Tomorrow, eight o'clock!"

My chest was heaving in indignation and I sat back down, Neville scampering back to his seat. Carrow turned back to the class and said at large, "Your homework is to read about the Cruciatus Curse and the principles of it before dinner; tonight you will all come back here at eight for practice."

The class stood to leave and I hung back. When most of them were gone, I said impetuously, "I have detention tonight at eight o'clock."

His face remained blank and passive. "Then you must go to detention tonight I suppose."

I turned and stalked from the classroom, making note to tell Severus about everything that was going on. I had the strongest suspicion that he knew though, and wouldn't be able to stop it. I had all the free time in the world until dinner, so I hung out in the library doing nothing, seeing as I had no homework yet. I had been lucky for the first day of school so far.

When it was time for dinner, I wasn't very hungry. I was green thinking about what I had almost done earlier, my extended period in the library doing nothing helping to remind me of it. I was nervous about detention too; if they could torture students during class, what would they do out of class?

I went to the Great Hall, but barely ate anything and left after a few minutes. I had a sudden desire to talk to Dumbledore; he would know what to do about this messy situation. It seemed like Dumbledore always knew just what to do.

I opened the door to Severus's office and a lot of the portraits it seemed had walked off to somewhere else in the castle. It was nearly empty except for a few snoozing portraits. I approached Dumbledore and stood there, my hands clasped together in sudden shyness.

"Yes?" he asked kindly. He had a sweet smile on his face and my heart softened. I knew I could tell him anything.

"I have a confession to make, something I've been feeling horrible about," I started.

He didn't say anything, but nodded for me to continue. I took a deep breath and said, "I've been worried. Over the summer I saw my children being tortured; it was the worst thing I had ever witnessed."

I could feel tears prickling in my eyes at the memory of the horrible event, but went on. "I didn't want to hazard more, fearing that it could happen again, maybe even one of them get killed. So I came up with a plan."

I paused, feeling shameful of what I had been prepared to do.

"Go on," he urged.

"I went to Madam Pomfrey today, and asked her if she would help me 'put on a show'. To make Severus believe I had had a miscarriage and couldn't have any more children. She was opposed to it, but gave in when I told her why. I didn't want to tell Severus the truth, because the fewer amounts of people who know the truth, the danger is less of the truth being leaked. So I was going to let him believe it, so that if he went under questioning by Voldemort, Voldemort would think it was the truth since Severus thought it was."

I started crying. "It seems so selfish and silly now to go to such lengths. I thought of his face when I told him I wouldn't be able to have more children. It hurt to even imagine it; I knew I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't do it Professor; I couldn't lie to him."

"Lie to whom?" came from the doorway. I whipped my head around and swiped at the tears on my cheeks, noting the cut from earlier.

"It's nothing," I said dismissively.

"It can't be nothing if you're crying about it," Severus said in an annoyed voice.

"It's a secret!" I blurted foolishly. As if that would keep him from trying to figure out what was going on.

He closed the door behind him and walked to me slowly. He kept his eyes locked on mine and I could feel the strangest sensation, as if my thoughts were being delved into…

I pulled away, with a loud exclamation. "Would you dare?"

"Yes I dare," he said. "You're my wife, I want to know what you're hiding from me. And I'm a much better Legillimens than you are Occlumens, so maybe we should skip the embarrassment and have you just tell me what's happened."

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if they would shield me better from his probing mind.

"No," I said defiantly. "What's done is done, there's nothing to do about anything."

I don't know why I had said that. I hadn't really done anything. Angrily he strode over to me and gripped my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes. He didn't try and invade my mind for a few seconds, he just stared at me, possibly hoping I would tell. When I didn't, he penetrated my mind in search for what happened. I knew that not thinking about the memory was key, but in mentally reminding myself that, I thought about it. He latched onto it and watched the entire scene play out. When the scene was over, ending with me barging from the wing, proclaiming I couldn't go through with it, he retracted his mind from mine.

We stood there for a moment, him still looking into my eyes, hands on my shoulders. Slowly, he pulled away from me and said, "What a ridiculous excuse."

I was scared. Only when Severus was truly, maddeningly angry did he get extremely quiet, like he was now. I didn't say anything, I was too frightened. I was too cowardly.

I looked at my watch. It was 7:45. I knew he wouldn't be happy about it, but I had to leave for my detention. His back was turned to me and I quietly tried to tip-toe past him with his head in his hands. I had nearly made it to the door and thought success was mine when I heard the lock click and a roar like a bull.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

I turned around slowly to Severus's white face and trembling wand pointed at the door.

"I- have detention," I stammered.

He looked at me for a few seconds and then started chuckling. His chuckles turned into ringing gales of laughter, bringing the few portraits that were still left into wakefulness.

"It serves me right I suppose," he said between hoots of laughter. "I married and fell in love with the most unmanageable woman in the world. I can't control her in the slightest; she just does whatever she pleases."

I pressed my back into the door and could feel the cold doorknob cut into the small of my back. I was scared out of my wits. I reached behind myself and tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"No!" he said suddenly and sharply. "I'm not finished with you."

We gazed at each other from across the room, my eyes filled with fear and his with cold, calculated fury.

"You were going to lie to me," he said slowly. "For your own selfish purposes. I was disturbed when you lied to your father, but I thought that surely it ended there. That you wouldn't lie to me. The man you keep no secrets from."

He raised a thick eyebrow and said, "Or do you?"

When I didn't answer, he went on. "I can't even begin to fathom or follow your thought process. You were going to break my heart on purpose. You weren't going to tell me it was all a ruse."

He paused. "We could have figured out something like this together. But you didn't trust me. It seems that, deep down, somewhere inside of you, you don't trust anyone on some level. And that's the worst part."

Tears sparkled in my eyes.

"But it's too late for that," he said firmly. "And if you're so desperate, then maybe we should just stop sleeping in the same room altogether to keep from being tempted from doing anything that could result in a child. If you loathe them so much."

That hurt immensely. "I don't loathe children. I just-"

He held up a hand to stop me and said, "Save it. You can go on to detention and when you come back, I'll have the furniture rearranged so that we'll have separate rooms."

My throat closed up and I felt the door give way behind me. He had opened it, and I fell backwards. I stood up quickly and the door slammed shut in my face. It was so final.

I turned on my heel and ran to detention, ready to welcome anything that would serve as a distraction. The tears stung my eyes and I beat them back. I had messed up hugely this time. I reached the Muggle Studies classroom and saw that I was five minutes late. I looked around confusedly and saw that there were plenty of other students there too. In fact, my entire Dark Arts class had assembled there and they were looking at me solemnly.

"Did everyone get detention?" I asked to the room at large.

"No," came the hacking voice of one of the Carrows. They were watching me gleefully with hidden information. I summoned all my strength and said, "Well then, what's going on?"

"This is today's lesson. This is your detention, and their practice of the Cruciatus Curse."

My hand flew to my mouth. I instantly lowered it and said, "You can't do that!"

Everyone else in the room looked rather scandalized, but Crabbe and Goyle were flexing their muscles, waiting for their chance.

"Oh yes we can!" Alecto said gleefully. "Everyone get in a line!"

Crabbe and Goyle shoved their way to the front and many people fought for the back. Some people were rather neutral about it, and some looked as though they'd love to get their hands on me. I saw Draco and Pansy dead last, looking frightened and fighting Neville to be the back of the line.

I faced Goyle, the first one in line and he grinned stupidly. I really hoped he wouldn't be able to do it.

"Alright now!" Amycus said. "You'll all have a chance to do it. You've read up on the theory, but since this is your first time, we don't expect you to be brilliant. You'll all get a few seconds each, and then maybe we'll go for a second round. Depending on if we feel she's had enough punishment."

I felt a chair zoom up behind me and knock me down into it. Chains snaked up around me and fastened me there, holding me down so I couldn't leave.

I thought about struggling, but thought that the chains might get tighter if I did that. Plus, what was the point?

I thought miserably about what had happened only ten minutes before and was grateful, almost, to be here. This torture was nothing compared to that torture.

"Crucio!" screamed Goyle mercilessly and it felt almost nothing like being tortured by Voldemort. He wasn't powerful enough yet, but I quaked to think about how horrible it would be if he practiced regularly. It went on for a few seconds and then Crabbe got his turn. His was much like Goyle's but weaker. Not that it didn't hurt though.

Next was Lavender Brown and she looked at me tentatively and apologetically. I knew she didn't like me, but I knew she didn't dislike me enough to torture me for practice.

She pointed her wand at me and said in a smallish voice, "Crucio."

It felt like being roughly tickled really. It didn't hurt at all. And that was how everyone else went for the rest of it. The people who had watched me at first with loathing had apparently changed their minds, because it seemed like none of their hearts were in it. Draco, Pansy and Neville looked like they hated themselves when they stepped up. Draco and Pansy went before Neville and Neville stood in front of me, the last in line.

He rocked back and forth on his heels and looked the Carrows in the eye.

"No."

They were infuriated. "What do you mean no?" they shouted heatedly.

"I won't do it," he stated blandly. I knew he didn't want to use the curse that had driven his parents insane. I felt a rush of sympathy for Neville and wanted to reach out and pat his hand.

Instead of making him do it though, they merely slashed his cheek like earlier. At this point, it was nine o'clock.

"Lesson's over!" Amycus called out and everyone filed out. When Amycus filed out after everyone, I called out angrily, having still been chained to the chair. He looked back at me for a moment and seemed to be considering something. He turned and strode out the door. I couldn't believe it. I was still chained to the chair and no one knew it.

I yelled, trying to get someone to come to my rescue, but no one did. They were all in their dormitories by then. I hoped Severus would come looking for me, disturbed by my continued absence for so long. But he didn't. I cried sitting in that chair. It had been a horrible day, and it had all been my own doing. After a few hours, my eyes drooped and I fell asleep, dreaming fitfully about everything that had happened.

_Author's Note: I hope you guys don't like the Carrows anymore. I wouldn't. Anyways, comment on what you like/don't like/want to see. Until next chapter!_


	104. Chapter One Hundred and Four

I sank into a chair, unable to think, only feel. And what I was feeling was the worst kind of emotion. It was almost like having my heart broken. I couldn't believe she could be so underhanded. I was enraged. There was no controlling that woman!

I picked up the nearest thing and flung it across the room, and heard it crunch against the wall satisfyingly. I picked up something else to throw when a voice stopped me.

"Severus! Do we need to resort to throwing things?" came the admonishing voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"I think it's a sight better than smacking your wife across the face," I replied viciously, hurling the new object to the ground. It shattered and my heart seemed slightly assuaged.

"She had her reasons Severus!" Dumbledore said in a ringing voice.

"Don't you dare side with her!" I screamed.

I sat back down in the chair and put my head in my hands. Dumbledore's annoying voice broke through my haze of pain though.

"She's still a child Severus. No matter how adult she may act most of the time, she's only seventeen. She's going to be prone to do stupid things."

I shook my head, not wanting to hear the justification of what Katherine had done. I stormed to _our_ living quarters and threw the door open to _our_ room. I reduced the size of the bed and then duplicated it. I went over to the twin's nursery and did an extension charm on it. I took one of the beds and put it in the nursery with the girls. I didn't know yet who would sleep there and who would have the room to themselves. I guess Katherine could decide that when she came back from her detention.

I fished in my wardrobe for a light cloak and threw it about my shoulders. I stalked through the office and threw the door open. I stormed through the school, taking points everywhere I could. I reached the front doors of the school and barged through them. I strode through the grounds, determined to reach the gates. I had no idea where I was going, but knew I had to get away from the school, from Katherine.

I reached the gates and stopped for a moment, catching my breath and collecting my thoughts. I decided on a destination and twisted in midair when I was out of the castle boundary. I arrived in South Norfolk and headed for an old favorite of mine, Puzzles. It was a Muggle bar with a rather stupid name, but it was good for a strong drink.

I walked into the bar and found hordes of people drinking their problems away and making stupid decisions. I walked over to the bar and sat on a stool, ordering a strong whiskey. I got plenty of stares from people for the way I was dressed, but I didn't care. I felt the whiskey slide down my throat and welcomed the burning sensation. I ordered another shot and knocked it back, feeling a nice buzz begin to come on.

A woman sat next to me and looked at me intently. I turned to her and said, rather rudely, "What do you want?"

"Oh nothing, you just looked like you needed a friend," she purred. I looked her up and down. She was a platinum blonde with bright red lips and dramatically done up eyes. Her clothes were rather provocative and she wore extremely high heels. She was looking at me seductively and I figured she was either a prostitute or a woman begging for a one night stand. I shrugged and said, "I don't need a friend. I need to forget."

"Forget what?" she asked sympathetically.

I rolled my eyes and ordered another whiskey. "My _wife,_" I spat the word, "was going to pull the wool over my eyes for something huge. It hurt, because she didn't trust me."

The woman clucked sympathetically and said, "Poor thing."

I drank the newest shot and the warm tingling feeling intensified. "But I showed her! I gave us separate rooms!"

The woman gasped dramatically and said, "What could she have done that was so bad?"

"I'll tell you what she did!" I said while having another shot of whiskey. I was starting to feel slightly drunk and my words started to slur a little. "She didn't want any more children, so she told me she couldn't. Even though she could!"

"How horrible," the blonde woman purred. "By the way, my name is Kristy."

I eyeballed her much in the way Amycus had done my wife earlier and said, "You're a very pretty woman Kristy. But you look nothing like my wife."

"How's that?" she asked.

I sighed and said, "Well my wife- she's got this beautiful, long, curly black hair that's really soft. And she's got these eyes. There small and hard, but there's just something about them. You're like, the complete opposite from her. She's short and you're tall."

I ordered another whiskey and, after drinking it, could feel its effects quite thoroughly now. Through my rather drunken haze I could feel Kristy put her hand on mine in a sympathetic way.

"It'll be alright," she said sweetly. I looked suspiciously at her and said, "You've been sitting here a while. Why haven't you ordered anything?"

She noticed this and called for another whiskey for me. I gulped it down and forgot all about the fact that she had had nothing to drink. After having drunk six whiskeys I was feeling quite drunk and didn't feel any better than when I had entered the bar. I was still sad and lonely. I'm not sure who, but one of us suggested that we leave the bar. And that's all I really remembered from that night.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you like/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter!_

_P.S. I wonder if anyone can find the reference to a certain TV show. :)_


	105. Chapter One Hundred and Five

When I woke up, it was in a room full of first year Slytherins and Gryffindors, staring at me in a petrified way. The ugly face of Alecto Carrow smiled at me and I recoiled, unable to do so very well because of the chains that were holding me.

"Rise and shine!" she said in a sing-song voice. I glared at her and said, "You kept me here all night."

She pretended not to hear that and addressed the room at large. "This is what happens when you disrespect a teacher or break the rules."

The first years looked really scared. I saw Cassie and her eyes were lowered, not looking at me. Alecto turned to me and released me from the chains. I tried to get up, but fell to the floor. I righted myself and saw some of them sniggering at my fall. I glared at them and they shut up quick enough. I swept from the room without a backward glance.

I stalked all the way to the Headmasters office and looked at my watch. It was only first period. I entered the office and Dumbledore greeted me.

"We were worried about you," Dumbledore said in a concerned voice.

I rubbed my arms and said, "The Carrows decided to keep me overnight for fun."

Dumbledore shook his head and I entered the living quarters in the wall. I went into the room Severus and I shared and stopped in my tracks.

There was a smaller bed there and Severus's dresser was gone, as well as his wardrobe. So he had made good on his promise. I sunk down on the bed and all the events of the night before came back to me. I cried. I wanted to make it right, but had no idea how. Even though we were going to be living together, Severus had successfully managed to put me at arm's length.

I dried my eyes, sighed, and stood up. I picked out some fresh robes and got dressed. The cut on my cheek was rather sore and still bloodied from not being cleaned up the day before. I cursed the Carrows under my breath as I healed it and cleaned up the blood. I went and checked on my daughters, who were still dressed in the clothes they had worn yesterday. I frowned and changed their clothes and took care of them. I knew I was missing so much school, but who cared much about that anymore? I didn't even want to come to Hogwarts; I had known how it was going to be.

What puzzled me was that Severus had not taken care of the twins. Even though he was mad at me, I knew he wouldn't neglect them on purpose. When I was done looking after the girls and called for Dobby, I walked back into the office. I went for the door, but Severus came through, looking rather disheveled and hung-over. We stood there facing each other for a few moments.

"Looks like you went somewhere last night," I said coolly, even though my heart sank and I had a nagging suspicion of where he might have been.

"And had a damn good time," he mumbled.

I gathered myself and repositioned my bookbag on my shoulder. I stood as tall as I could and gazed at him through what I hoped were indifferent eyes. I wouldn't let him know how I had cried.

He seemed to read my mind though and said, "Don't bother with the charade. I know you've been crying. But what do you have to cry about? You got everything you wanted, didn't you?"

"Yes, I suppose I did," I said in a level voice.

He swayed off into our living quarters and slammed the door shut. I shook my head to ward off the tears that were threatening to spill over onto my cheeks. When he had walked past me, I had smelled strong alcohol and perfume. I tried to convince myself that Severus was a man who wouldn't cheat, but I couldn't. And I couldn't blame him for wanting to after what happened the day before.

I looked at my timetable and saw that I hadn't missed any classes for the day, but had no time to get something to eat. I was practically starving; I had had nothing since lunch the day before.

I ran to my Transfiguration lesson, but didn't listen to McGonagall's lecture. I thought about where Severus might have been the night before. Spinner's End was a possibility. A bar of some sort. I knew I had to factor in alcohol somewhere, because he had definitely smelled of it. Maybe he had gone to a bar and picked up a woman? I had no idea, I was ignorant of the inner workings of a bar. And flirting.

I really wasn't one to flirt. I had only really liked Harry, and there had been no flirting. I was a straightforward person and told Harry that I liked him. He had seemed rather taken aback, but told me that he had liked me too. There was nothing to it. And then Severus… He was a whole other situation.

I just wanted to lay my head down on my desk and cry. It was all because I hadn't put up a proper fight on coming to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was what was wrong. With the Carrows being here and the temptation to go to Madam Pomfrey. It was my fault.

The bell rang mercifully and I trudged up out of my seat. I looked at the timetable and saw I had Charms next, but had no desire to go to class. So I decided to skip and hang out on the grounds. I walked through the courtyard and out to the lake. The air was cool and, when I reached the lake, I took my socks and shoes off to dip my feet in the water. It was very cold and I welcomed it. I sat down on the edge of the lake and gloried in no one being there to watch me or make comments behind my back. I was totally and utterly alone.

I took my feet out of the water and drew my knees up to my chest, looking up at the sky. I wondered what it would be like to jump on a broom and leave Hogwarts. And then I told myself I had to be realistic and remember that I couldn't fly. I sighed and wished I could just leave Hogwarts. Even spending time at home with Voldemort probably wouldn't have been half as bad. And then I shook myself of such crazy thoughts, and resolved to stop looking at the sky, since it was putting such dumb ideas in my head.

I laid back on the grass and hummed "Do the Hippogriff" by the Weird Sisters, closing my eyes while I did so. After a verse, I broke out into song:

_Boogie down like a unicorn_

_No stoppin' till the break of dawn_

_Put your hands up in the air_

_Like an ogre just don't care_

_Can you dance like a hippogriff?_

_Ma ma ma, ma ma ma, ma ma ma_

_Flyin' off from a cliff__  
><em>_Ma ma ma, ma ma ma, ma ma ma__  
><em>_Swooping down to the ground__  
><em>_Ma ma ma, ma ma ma, ma ma ma__  
><em>_Wheel around and around and around and around__  
><em>_Ma ma ma, ma ma ma, ma ma ma_

"I suggest that you halt your caterwauling and attend class," a voice drawled from above. My eyes flew open and Severus was standing there, smirking, but in a way that wasn't affectionate.

I grabbed my bag and huffed towards the castle. No matter how fast I walked, Severus caught up to me. He took my arm and turned me to face him.

"Do you think you can just blow off classes? After all the trouble that I've gone through to bring you here?"

I sniffed and said, "It would have been kinder for you to leave me at Spinner's End! I get nothing but the cold shoulder and was chained up and tortured yesterday by your Deputy Headmasters. Then they left me chained up all night! I had hoped that you would grow concerned and try to find me, but you were too busy shagging some whore you picked up in a bar last night!"

He stiffened and said, "What made you think that?"

I laughed mirthlessly, narrowed my eyes, knit my brows and said, "You thought I wouldn't notice the beer and perfume on you when you decided to come back?"

He considered this for a moment and then his lips curved into a cruel smile. "Yes, you're right Katherine. I was out having a good time with another woman. Your vile behavior yesterday didn't deter me from finding company last night."

Tears pricked my eyes and I wrenched my arm from his hand, and stalked off towards the castle. I could feel them coursing down my face and I reached the courtyard in what seemed like a very short amount of time. I went through the front doors with Severus hot on my tail.

Adding salt on the wound, he called out, "Do you want to talk about it anymore?"

"Why would I want to discuss your infidelity? I'm your wife dammit! If you want to go out with other women, that's fine with me. But at least have the decency of divorcing me or letting me know that's it's truly over before you go around gallivanting with total strangers!" I screeched.

Severus looked at me with a shocked expression and I smirked. I turned around to see plenty of students gawking at what I had just uttered.

"Merlin's pants, don't you have anything better to do than eavesdrop on other's conversations?" I yelled at the assembled students. They broke away in pairs and trios and I shouldered my way through them, just wanting to find sanctuary.

_Author's Note: Ah, next one will be Sev's POV. Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter. :)_


	106. Chapter One Hundred and Six

I woke up with the worst feeling in my head, and knew I was hungover from drinking the night before. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and opened my eyes, grateful for the darkness of the room. I was lying on a couch with a blanket draped over me and wondered how I had gotten there. Then last night came back to me in a rush.

I had gone home with a woman named Kristy because I was drunk and upset with Katherine. God knew what had happened afterwards. I looked around the room- the living room I supposed- and my eyes fell on a note. I snatched it up and read it eagerly.

_Had to go to work, so see yourself out. If you can't remember what happened, we didn't do anything. You were too busy talking about your wife, I just gave up._

_-Kristy_

I exhaled and relief spread through my extremities. I hadn't cheated. But I was still immeasurably angry at Katherine.

I got up and my head pounded even harder. I needed to get some sober-up potion, and soon. My mouth felt like cotton, and I figured a drink wouldn't have gone amiss either. I looked around at the very obviously feminine apartment and realized why Kristy had wanted to go home with me; I could see she didn't have a boyfriend, or a very feminine one.

I apparated to the outside of the castle and trudged up the grounds. I figured I looked like hell, but that didn't matter. Lessons were probably going on at that moment and no one would be able to see me, if I was quick.

I entered the castle doors and made my way to my office. I opened the door and I stopped in my tracks. There was Katherine, looking for all the world she had lost her best friend. Her eyes were red and she had a rather disheveled appearance herself.

"Looks like you went somewhere last night," she said in an accusatory tone.

I didn't feel the need to explain or justify my behavior, so I said, "And I had a damn good time."

Katherine drew herself up and stood there with a cold stony gaze. I knew she didn't want me to know that she had been crying. Did she think she could get away with it so easily? When I knew her better than anyone else? The person who could easily predict her moods and the way she would react to certain things that were said. To let her know that it hadn't escaped my notice, I said, "Don't bother with the charade. I know you've been crying. But what do you have to cry about? You got everything you wanted, didn't you?"

I knew she had every reason to cry, but she had no right. She had brought this all on herself.

"Yes, I suppose I did," she answered in a voice that threatened to begin wailing at any moment. To save her the embarrassment, I walked past her and slammed the door to our living quarters shut.

I stomped into the room I now shared with my daughters and found Dobby taking care of them. I threw off my traveling cloak and picked out something fresh to wear. Thank God for black, my usual, unchanging, unadulterated color.

I changed and found some sober-up potion. I drank it greedily and felt instantly better. The pounding in my head vanished and my tongue didn't feel like a wad of cotton. I got a glass of water and returned to my office. I looked out my window and saw Katherine down on the grounds, looking around and behind her repeatedly. I knew seventh year Charms had just started, so I knew she was skipping.

I couldn't believe her. She just did whatever she pleased, and had resorted to skipping class to garner either attention or cry some more. I felt a slight twinge of guilt in the back of my mind, but shoved it away. I couldn't give sympathy to her.

I stalked towards the grounds, my shoes clicking on the flagstones in the silence of the hallways. Everyone was in class or doing homework, so I was completely alone in the hallways. I had a hunch to where she might go, but didn't need one. I simply followed the soft imprints in the grass all the way down to the lake.

She was lying on the edge, her eyes closed, her lips curled into a smile and she looked happy for the first time since I had told her she was going to Hogwarts. She was singing some song from the Weird Sisters and I didn't want to stop her. I almost didn't want to halt her happiness. Almost.

When she finished the chorus, I looked down at her and said, "I suggest that you halt your caterwauling and attend class."

She narrowed her eyes at me and took off in the direction of the castle in a near run, clearly an attempt to get away from me. I caught up with her though and pulled her roughly around to face me. Out of instinct, she tried pulling away, but I held her fast.

"Do you think that you can just skip classes? After all the trouble I've gone through to bring you here?" I asked furiously.

She looked rather offended and said, "It would have been kinder for you to leave me at Spinner's End! I get nothing but the cold shoulder and was chained up and tortured yesterday by your Deputy Headmasters. Then they left me chained up all night! I had hoped that you would grow concerned and try to find me, but you were too busy shagging some whore you picked up in a bar last night!"

I thought about this. It hadn't occurred to me that she was being treated cruelly, not only by Amycus and Alecto, but by the other students. They would be hostile to her because of me, and Katherine, never being one to stand injustices, would erupt in class in fury at the Carrows, forcing them to punish her severely. I should have known that Hogwarts wouldn't have been the best place for her. But I wanted to focus on what she said about me shagging another woman.

"What made you think that?"

She snorted in derision and said, "Did you think that I wouldn't notice the beer and perfume on you when you finally decided to come back?"

I was half-tempted to tell her it was whiskey.

So she thought that I was so low that I would cheat? That I would stoop to her level of deceit and trickery and take another woman to bed? I was infuriated. So I did what I thought would hurt her most; I confirmed her suspicions.

"You're right Katherine. I was out having a good time with another woman. Your vile behavior yesterday didn't deter me from finding company last night."

She flinched at the last part, and even I did a little bit. Sometimes even I was shocked about what came out of my mouth in cruelty. She managed to throw me off and stomped off into the castle. My new level of fury forced me to jeer and call out, "Do you want to talk about it anymore?"

We were inside the castle now and Katherine whirled around to face me, tears pouring down her face. She started screaming, and it was at a decibel so high, I was surprised I could hear it. Surely only bats could.

"Why would I want to discuss your infidelity? I'm your wife dammit! If you want to go out with other women, that's fine with me. But at least have the decency of divorcing me or letting me know that's it's truly over before you go around gallivanting with total strangers!"

Before her speech was over, some students had come traipsing out of classes, and stopped, fully aware that Katherine and I were fighting and wanting to get enough gossip to take back to their friends, that the Headmaster was not only at war with the whole school, but even his own wife who had said to support him no matter what. Piled onto the fact that she was yelling about me barhopping and picking up total strangers.

When she finished, I stared behind her at the students, open-mouthed from what they had just heard. She thought that it was because of what she said and smirked. Then she turned around and saw all of them clustered together. She yelled something about them needing lives or something else and barged through them, presumably to find a quieter place to cry.

I found myself in a sea of smirking students glorying in their Headmaster's marital downfall in front of their eyes. But, little did they know, it wasn't over yet.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! And I hope some of you found my "bat of the dungeons" joke. As always comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	107. Chapter One Hundred and Seven

I ran about the room, gathering things and stuffing them into my trunk. I had to get out of this place, I had to leave. I took an entire drawer and dumped the contents into the trunk, unceremoniously sitting on it and then snapping it shut. I looked about the room to see if I had left anything out and found a picture of my daughters, laughing and smiling. I bit my lip. The question was do I take the picture, or the real thing?

I ground my teeth into my lip, thinking it over. I didn't know yet where I was going, just that I had to leave. Would it be smart to take the girls along if I wasn't even sure about my own safety or shelter? It would be selfish to take them along, and then I resolved to take the picture. I wouldn't be selfish like Severus and bring someone somewhere they didn't belong just to have them there.

I stuffed the picture into my pocket and dragged my trunk into the main room of the living quarters. I set it there and then walked across to find my daughters. I didn't know how long I would be gone and wanted to tell them goodbye. Dobby was taking care of them and rushed to me when I entered the room. He hugged me around the knees and the girls did as well, all clinging to me. I pried Dobby off and said, "Make sure to take care of them. I'm leaving for a while."

Dobby nodded and said, "Yes, of course Miss, Dobby certainly will!"

I nodded back and picked up both my daughters in turn. I kissed them both on the head and set them down, whispering goodbye. I went back into the main room and picked up my trunk. I looked at my watch. It was lunch time, so everyone would be in the Great Hall. I needed to make my escape as quickly as possible so as not to be seen.

It wasn't just Severus's betrayal that drove me away. Hogwarts wasn't the same and I couldn't bear to see it in shambles, its reputation and integrity ruined. I couldn't stand the Carrows despite having one lesson with each and yet having felt the full brunt of their fury. And I didn't belong. No matter how much Neville _may _have warmed up to me in the past couple days, it did not make up for all the accusing glances in the hallways, the whispered threats and outright looks of mockery. I was most certainly _not _a Hogwartian; everyone in Hogwarts had made sure of it.

Was I running away from my problems? Most certainly. Was I cowardly? Most definitely. Was I going to apologize for it? No.

I hauled my trunk into the office and paused to put my trunk on the ground. I slowly walked up to the desk and left a note for Severus. I retreated quickly and picked my trunk back up, ready to leave Hogwarts.

I tottered through the hallways as fast as I could. I levitated my trunk in front of me so it wouldn't impede my journey. I met no one. It was the opposite of my leaving Hogwarts in June, which had been so public. I raced out the door and through the grounds, the closer my escape coming the faster my heart pounded and my feet flew. My breath came in short gasps. It was like being freed from a restrictive cage. I only hoped that the rug wouldn't be pulled out from underneath me at the last second.

I reached the gates and looked behind me and saw to my relief that no one was there. I walked out of the school's boundary and apparated to Spinners End. I knew I couldn't stay there, but I could for a few minutes until I figured out where I would go.

-o-

I finished lunch and went to my office, hoping to run into Katherine so we could go at it, round two. I wanted to come out victorious. Imagine my surprise when I found that she had gotten the better of me again.

I stepped into my office and immediately noticed a neat little unassuming letter on my desk. I picked it up, my eyes scanning it quickly. I ran to my window to see if she had made it too far yet, to see if I could stop her. But there was never any stopping her. I saw her at the gates. She looked back and then ran through, apparating as fast as she could to get away.

I went back to my desk and flopped into the chair, rereading the note:

_Severus,_

_It's not just because of you that I'm leaving. I wanted to assuage your fears and let you know that it wasn't just our fight earlier today that made me leave. It's Hogwarts too. I know what's best for me and I knew that coming to Hogwarts would be a horrible decision; and look where it's gotten us._

_I'm going somewhere. I'm not sure where, but someplace where I won't be treated like an outcast or a knife sharpener. I need to clear my head. Maybe, when I'm feeling much better about things, I'll let you know where I am. But not for a while. I'll write as soon as I can._

_Katherine_

I knew that "as soon I can" meant "as soon as I forget how fucking marvelous you made me feel by cheating on me". I put my head in my hands and chuckled slightly. Just like Katherine to run away. Just like her to leave a note. And just like her to try and make me feel better about myself by saying it wasn't just because of me she was leaving.

I felt like such an ass.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys didn't mind the POV change too much, I didn't want to make two different chapters on this. Anyone have any suggestions on where she should go? I have an idea in mind, but if I hear a REALLY good idea, I may change it. :) Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	108. Chapter One Hundred and Eight

Hermione, Ron and I were planning our foray into the Ministry at the kitchen table. Hermione's face was drawn in concentration and worry as we went over the plan and the front door suddenly opened. We all looked at each other in fear; who could it have been? We rushed into the entry hall, our wands raised and saw the dusty figure we knew so well rise from the carpet and rush the newcomer.

"No-NO! I didn't kill you, I swear!" came a screaming familiar voice. The dust figure exploded in midair and revealed a very white and scared Katherine Snape, cowering against the wall.

"YOU!" I yelled and dropped my wand, ready to strangle her with my bare hands, my blood boiling. I was blasted back and Hermione said, "Wait Harry!"

I glared at her and said, "What for?"

She never lowered her wand at Katherine and asked, "The last conversation Katherine Snape and I had was when? And what was it about?"

Katherine took a shuddering breath, her eyes still fixed upon the place where the figure had burst apart and said, "It was in Hogwarts, right inside the doors. You were entreating me to not leave; you didn't want me to go back to… _them._"

Hermione stowed away her wand and helped Katherine up, calling over her shoulder, "It's alright. It's her."

I glowered and said, "It bloody well is not alright! This is Katherine. What's she doing here? Come to spy on us and see if she can turn us in to her husband for a reward?"

I had meant the words to sting, but I didn't know that they would have so much impact. She collapsed into Hermione's arms and her eyes turned wide. She seemed to have lost the will to stand up properly. Ron stuffed his wand into his pocket and helped Hermione hold Katherine up and pull her into the kitchen so she could sit down. When Katherine was in a chair, I pulled my wand on her, much to Ron and Hermione's protests.

"Shut it," I said quietly, and they were so surprised at my tone they did as I asked. Even Katherine, who seemed scared out of her wits, was solemn and understood the gravity of the situation at hand.

"How did you get here?" I asked clearly. Katherine turned a confused face on me and said, "As anyone walks into a house; by opening the door."

My temper flared and, with gritted teeth, I said, "So you just strolled up past the Death Eaters and knocked on the door?"

She seemed to remember herself and said, "Oh. Of course. Yeah, well, I apparated near the house and watched it for a minute. I saw the Death Eaters with their backs turned to the house and decided to apparate onto the top step. I did so, with a Disillusionment Charm, and entered the house. The charm broke when the- thing- came after me."

"Why are you here?" I asked quietly, moving my wand even closer to her as I said it. Her eyes never strayed from mine, but I could tell she was watching the wand's progress in her peripherals. She seemed to be struggling hard to not cry and said, "Hogwarts is… well it's not what it was."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Well… You know the Carrows? The ones on the Tower the night Dumbledore-"

She saw the look on my face and didn't finish her sentence, not daring to mention what had happened that night. She continued

"Anyways, they're the Deputy Headmasters now and apparently in charge of all the punishment. I already got a slash to the face for helping Neville out, and two detentions for telling them what they were doing was bull shit."

"Well, talking back to a teacher has never garnered more than scrubbing the trophies or something unsavory like that," Hermione said in a kind voice. Katherine shook her head and said, "No. They're teaching the students how to perform the Cruciatus Curse and using it on kids who have detention. That's what happened to me last night. They chained me up and let the seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors go at it. Crabbe and Goyle loved it, but everyone else was too freaked out or sickened. Neville refused point-blank, and you can't blame him."

I looked over at Ron and Hermione and I knew we were all thinking the same thing; Neville would never have wanted to use the spell that was used to torture his parents on another human being, not even on Bellatrix Lestrange. And it was sickening to hear that students were being taught how to torture others.

"They left me there overnight, chained up. It was horrible. They made an example out of me for the first years who had a lesson at the beginning of the day. And then everyone's been so… well, you can't blame them. They've all made sure to shut me out."

Katherine meanwhile drew her wand and I whipped back around, ready to disarm her. But she had already thrown it on the floor in submission. She raised her hands and brows and said, "Attack if you like, but I'm not here to be counter-productive. Hell, I didn't even know you guys would be here."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked interestedly.

"I mean, I left Hogwarts and had no idea where to go. I thought of the Leaky Cauldron but figured it was too public. I couldn't go to Severus's home; it would have been the first place he looked for me. I wouldn't go home, not for all the galleons in Gringotts. And then Grimmauld Place just kind of popped into my head. I figured you guys probably wouldn't be here, so I thought it would be a nice place to stay for a couple days," she said explanatorily.

"You were going to squat in my home for a couple of days because you think everyone in Hogwarts hates you?" I said disbelievingly. Anger was coursing through my veins. Did she think she was entitled to everything?

Hermione didn't give her a chance to answer my question though and asked, "What do you mean Severus is looking for you?"

She gulped and then started to nervously fidget with her robes. She took too long to answer, so I shoved my wand even closer to her and said demandingly, "Answer her!"

Katherine gathered herself and, instead of falling to pieces like she was prone to at the slightest provocation, steeled herself, saying, "I mean I left in the middle of the day after we had a fight."

Hermione and Ron took chairs near her, but I kept my wand pointed. Hermione gave me a scathing look and I lowered my wand slowly, still not completely trustful of this Snape.

"What did you two fight about?" Hermione asked gently.

Katherine smiled grimly and said, "It was the silliest thing really. I don't want to bother you with the details."

"You can tell us anything Katherine," Ron said in a sickeningly sweet, brotherly voice. I wanted to vomit.

And then she regaled us with this long tale about how Voldemort had demanded that she start attending Death Eater meetings and the first one she went to, Professor Burbage was murdered. Ron and I, having never taken Muggle Studies, didn't see this as a particular blow, but Hermione was devastated. Katherine continued on, telling us how he had forced her to get the Dark Mark.

"Show us," I said authoritatively. She hesitated and pulled her left sleeve back, revealing the coiling skull and snake. She was utterly repulsed by it, and it took everything I had to keep from cursing her for bearing that Mark. But I knew that Ron and Hermione would never have forgiven me if I had.

"I hate it," she said in a low voice, thick with emotion. "It reminds me… well, I just loathe it."

She gathered herself and went on, saying how she had been forced to participate in the Seven Potters battle and how she had recognized Hermione instantly.

"I remember, you were with Kingsley. You were fighting hard, and Jugson threw a Killing Curse at you that barely missed. I was just… filled with rage. I had to do something about it. So I Stunned him. He fell off his broom and they told me later that he had been killed. I killed him."

Her eyes took on a blank look, as if she was remembering it vividly. I was sure she was, because her next words were, "I don't necessarily feel bad about killing him. He almost killed you."

Her talking about killing someone who had almost killed someone she loved made me think of the time that I had wanted to kill Bellatrix Lestrange for murdering Sirius. That was when I realized that Katherine and I were made of the same stuff. We fought for the ones we loved, and both had egos and tempers the size of the moon. We really weren't so different, except for some dumb things that had been said and done throughout the past couple of years.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, and was surprised to hear myself say it. She looked at me as if she had never seen me before and her brows knit together in confusion.

"I'm sorry. For attacking Draco and denouncing you in front of everyone. And making you tell your secret to the people you cared about and cared about you in return. I'm sorry."

Her confusion faded and her eyes turned into narrow slits, so much like Voldemort's. "What makes you think that a simple sorry will change it? And what brought on this wave of remorse?" she asked in a forced tone of politesse.

I swallowed a thick lump in my throat and said, "I've just realized that we're the same."

Her hardened gaze softened and she said, "That's what I've been trying to tell you for a while. Our hearts beat in the same way."

I nodded. I understood, and I knew she understood too, that things could never be the same. We could be allies, but we could never be friends again. Too much had been said to repair that. But we could acknowledge our wrongs, which was what Katherine did next.

"And I'm sorry for having slapped you so many times and hexed you. And essentially telling the entire school what happened between us when we were dating. Among other petty things I can't remember," she finished with a grin.

I nodded, a small smile on my face. Ron and Hermione looked extremely relieved that I was no longer keen on shoving my wand in her face and relaxed.

"What happened next?" Hermione prodded, wanting to get down to the bottom of why Katherine was here. I was eager too, wondering how the man she had claimed to stand beside had fallen so far in her favor.

Her eyes turned to stone and her jaw was set defiantly, as if we were all enemies. With her next words, I understood that it was because she was imagining what had happened.

"They told Vol-"

"Don't say the name!" we all yelled. It was taboo, and we told her so. She looked frightened and resolved to not use it while she was in Grimmauld Place. She continued. "They told the Dark Lord I killed Jugson and he was angry. He tortured me for a minute and then realized it wasn't enough to keep me in line. So he- he took the girls and-"

Her voice faltered and Hermione's hands flew to her mouth. "Did he- are they gone?" she asked in a whispered tone.

"No," Katherine said in a rather hollow voice. "It was worse than him killing them. He tortured them. And made me watch."

Ron looked slightly green, and I couldn't imagine Voldemort torturing a child. I felt faintly sick.

"It was the worst sight I had ever seen. I was being held, so I couldn't run to them, help them. They were crying, calling for me. I finally broke free and was able to get to them, hold them and keep them from being hurt again."

She trailed off rather quietly and then picked up in a stronger voice. "I had resolved to keep from having children, and I thought that if Severus thought I couldn't, he could tell the Dark Lord and he wouldn't be caught lying because he would have truly believed it. I didn't want any more little Posys or Melanies for him to torture or kill."

We all sat there for a minute, digesting what we had just heard. Ron spoke first. "What did you do about it?"

She gave a wry smile and said, "I went to Madam Pomfrey and asked her to tell him I couldn't have any more children. And then… I couldn't go through with it. I decided against it. I went up to the Headmaster's office later and talked with Dumbledore about it and-"

"Hold on, you talked to Dumbledore?" I asked excitedly. I needed to talk to him desperately, and if she could somehow find a way…

"Harry, it was a portrait of him," she said gently. My heart sank. I so needed to speak to him, to understand… My hopes dashed, I motioned for her to continue. She paused for a minute and then said, "As I was talking to him, Dumbledore, about it, Severus walked in and figured out what happened, what I was going to do. He was… angry to say the least. It was scary. It finished with him saying that, if I wanted to so desperately not have children, he would give us separate rooms."

She bit her lip and I asked, "What's so bad about that?"

She stared at me and said, "Harry. I love him. Sending me away from the room that we've shared is him putting me at arm's length emotionally. Well, that and-"

She blushed deeply, something that was not becoming on her extremely pale skin, and finished, "Other things as well. It's a bigger deal than you think. I went to detention and he got roaring drunk at a bar. And then he- met someone."

Hermione gasped and Ron merely shook his head disgustedly. I half could/half couldn't believe where this was going. "They went home together. We had a huge fight in the middle of the school about it, where I unwitting screamed about him being a cad in front of several students. I'm sure by dinner time it will have spread to the entire student body. He didn't seem happy about it."

"I'm sure not. Who likes to get screamed at by their wife in front of plenty of people who loathe your guts, and about you cheating on her no less?" Ron said to no one in particular. No one replied.

"Anyways, with Hogwarts the way it is and Severus and I being- well, not swell- I decided to go away. And I came here," she finished.

I was amazed at how far she had traveled in a couple of months. And we had thought living as fugitives was bad enough. Not that either side didn't have their veritable points when it came to whose trip sucked the most. I was impressed as well. Daily, she was going up against Voldemort's men and fighting them tooth and nail in her own way. She could never search for Horcruxes outright with us, and we wouldn't take her, but she was doing something.

"Where are Posy and Melanie?" Ron asked.

Katherine sat still for a moment and then started fidgeting with her robes again. "I left them behind at the castle," she whispered.

"What?" I asked sharply. This was heavily reminding me of Lupin, how he had left pregnant Tonks to be with us.

"I-I didn't know where I was going to stay and I didn't want to drag them into this. I thought it better if I left them at the castle. They'll be taken good care of. They have Dobby and Severus to look after them."

"You trust him with your children?" I asked, appalled. She looked at me quietly and intensely, like she had done earlier when I had asked what the big deal was about having separate rooms, and answered in the same tone. "They're his children too Harry. He loves them just as much as I do."

There was an uncomfortable silence in which I mulled over the possibility that either Katherine did not know her husband very well or that everything I had thought about him was completely wrong.

"You can stay here as long as you need," Hermione said gently, breaking the silence. Ron nodded and I rolled my eyes. They had apparently forgotten it was my house and not theirs.

"But what about tomorrow?" I asked pointedly. I still didn't wholly trust her, and if we were going to infiltrate the Ministry, we couldn't leave her here by herself.

Hermione and Ron looked uncomfortable and then Ron turned to Katherine. "Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?"

These words shocked everyone in the room. Everyone went silent for a few moments and Katherine whispered, "The Unbreakable Vow? Dear God, for what?"

Hermione seemed to have come to her senses and realized Ron's plan. "Harry wants to make sure that you won't go blabbing about us, so Ron is suggesting an Unbreakable Vow for it."

I suddenly understood and so did she. She nodded calmly and took Ron's hand, prepared for the Vow. She looked solemnly into his eyes and looked faintly scared. We were all scared. The Unbreakable Vow was just one piece of magic better left alone. Hermione pulled out her wand, looking like she really didn't want to do it.

"Stop," I said suddenly. It was good enough for me that she was willing to make the Vow and I told them so. Everyone in the room looked relieved and Hermione, Ron and I all silently agreed that the less she knew, the better our plan would go tomorrow. So as she talked on about how grim things were at Hogwarts, we had to force her to leave so we could plan. But she wasn't the least bit heartbroken when we ordered her from the kitchen.

She actually looked rather relieved to have a place to stay.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	109. Chapter One Hundred and Nine

I woke up the morning after arriving at Grimmauld Place to hear whispering voices outside my door.

"I say we lock her in," came Harry's arguing voice. Ron and Hermione protested and Harry stood solidly behind his opinion.

I got up from the bed I was occupying and strode to the door, flinging it open. I looked at their shocked faces and smiled pleasantly. "Now you have nothing to fight over," I said serenely and made my way to the stairs. The place was old and rather filthy, and the stairs creaked under my weight.

They caught up to me and started jabbering away.

"We're going to have to leave for a few hours, but we'll be back," Hermione said in an assuring voice with a smile.

I grinned and said, "How do I know that you lot aren't going to leave me as soon as possible?" They all chuckled and made fierce protests about it, saying they would never leave Grimmauld Place on account of my presence. I smiled and felt right at home, with the people I considered family. And, Harry I guess. Yesterday had been rather weird with Harry apologizing. He had to have seen something that sobered him and made him grow up.

We sat down for a quick breakfast before they left to do whatever.

"How's Ginny?" Ron asked between mouthfuls. I grimaced and said, "Just fine. She's been a real joy."

I think he noted my sarcasm, but didn't comment on it. I went on to ask about the Seven Potters.

"So, whose idea was it for Seven Potters? It was rather ingenious really," I asked over a bowl of cornflakes.

Hermione's nose wrinkled and she said, "Mundungus Fletcher. You don't know him since you haven't really lived here and been near the Order too much, but he's a thief and a con artist."

I shrugged. "That makes sense. Oh, and, I saw someone's ear get cut off. Whose was it?"

Dark looks crossed over all their faces and Ron said, "It was George's. And Snape did it."

I nodded knowingly. "I saw it happen, but I could have sworn he was aiming for something other than his ear. Swear it."

They all exchanged uneasy glances and didn't reply to this. They didn't believe me, and they thought I was crazy for still being in love with him after doing things like lopping people's ears off.

I shook my head and breakfast was rather quiet after that. They left in a hurry and promised to be back in a couple hours. I was still sitting at the table when Kreacher came up to me.

"Would Mistress Malfoy like something more to eat?" he asked in what I thought was a rather pleasant tone.

I shook my head and said that no, I wouldn't like more. I got up and pushed the chair back under the table. I went upstairs to the bedroom that I had occupied and saw that it belonged to a boy named Regulus. It had to have been Sirius's brother, the one who died for Voldemort. I looked at a few of his pictures and saw that he was a rather handsome boy, and looked vaguely like me. I shrugged. All pure-blooded families were related somehow or another. I think he was like a distant cousin or some sort.

I had traced my heritage with Belinda and found that the Burke clan had married into the Black clan with Herbert Burke, the only son of the Burke clan who was left, and Belvina Black. They had had two sons and a daughter, but the eldest son and the daughter were killed in a horrible accident of some sort. The youngest son went on to marry the daughter of a Flint and had two children, Belinda and Seth. Belinda dabbled with Voldemort and got herself killed, but while she had been pregnant with me Voldemort had approached her brother and asked if he was to join. He fully expected him to, since his sister was involved, but told him no. Enraged, Voldemort had killed him. Their parents died sometime after Belinda, before I started school. I was truly the only Burke left.

It felt weird to belong to so many people, so many clans. I was a Burke, Flint, Gaunt, Riddle, Malfoy, Black and so many others. Family trees for purebloods were so complicated. I wondered if that wasn't why Voldemort hadn't been attracted to pure-bloods, if not for their lack of Muggle blood and seemingly pureness, but for the fact that their families' histories were so tangled that once you stepped into it, you couldn't get out. The must have seemed rather attractive to a boy with no history or familial connections like the Burkes, Malfoys and Blacks had had.

I resolved to stop looking at Regulus and looked around the rest of the room, smirking slightly at all the green and silver. I looked at the walls and found many paper cut-outs of Voldemort and his rise to power. I couldn't believe he had been so taken with such an evil man. I shuddered and reached into my trunk. I pulled out the picture of the twins and found that I missed them terribly. I wondered if they missed me. I wondered if Severus missed me.

Was he mad with grief and remorse? Or was he merely agitated? Had he told anyone and were there people out there looking for me at that very moment? I put the picture back in the trunk and headed downstairs, feeling rather chilly all of a sudden. I found a rather harmless looking book and picked it up to read. Not too long went by, as I was lounging on a couch in some room in this vast maze, and I heard a scuffle somewhere near the door. I wondered if Hermione, Ron and Harry were back yet and hurried into the entrance hall to see them, relieved that they were back. But it wasn't them.

Instead stood a rather distressed looking Yaxley who seemed as if his hand had just been hexed. I gave an involuntary gasp and he looked up; his gaze had been on the floor. Our eyes locked and he grinned maliciously.

"So, been hiding out here, haven't you?" he asked in a conversational voice. My assumption had been right; there were people looking for me.

"Too bad I lost the trio of brats, but they seem to have unwittingly brought me to you," he said with too much pleasure in his voice. I instantly figured that it must have been Harry, Ron and Hermione. Something must have gone wrong and they must have led him here on accident.

"What is this place?" he asked. I stared at him in stony silence. I wasn't going to give anything away, I wasn't going to tell him anything.

"Not going to talk, are you? How uncharacteristic of you. Usually you can't shut up," he said with a critical eye. I kept my silence and started to back away slowly. My heart was pounding in my ears and I knew that one wrong move meant it was over. It meant that I would have to go back, and I wasn't ready. I could feel my freedom sliding right out through the door past Yaxley.

"You know, I think you're rather prettier when you're not speaking at all," he said in a tone that was much too lecherous for comfort. He moved closer to me, but I stood still. One wrong move…

He was right in front of me and my heart started going even faster, something I hadn't thought was humanly possible. He took one hand to stroke my cheek slowly and then backed away.

"Right shame you're married," he said mournfully. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least it stopped there.

He grinned at me and said, "Now, tell me what this place is."

I glared at him, trying to let him know that over my dead body would I give information. He didn't need any information though, for he said, "This is Order headquarters isn't it?"

I sniffed and said, "I guess if you know so much, you should stop asking such inane questions."

"She speaks!" he said in a mock joyful voice. I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Now," he said moving closer, speaking in a confidential voice that made me shiver, "why'd you run away?"

I turned my head from him and said, "That's a personal matter I don't wish to discuss with _you._"

He gave a low whistle and said, "Rather hurtful things you've said. To me and Snape. Wonder if he'll give me a reward for bringing you back to him."

My eyes widened and I whipped my head back around. "No," I whispered, "you wouldn't. You can't."

"And why not?" he asked mockingly. I gave him another stony silence and then he pushed his left sleeve back, pressing his finger onto the Mark on his skinny arm. Immediately, people began to appear in the house, having been summoned. All of them looked around in confusion and Yaxley cried out in triumph, "It's headquarters for the Order! We have it!"

They all shouted in celebration and began to peruse the place, knocking things over in their haste to find something valuable to bring back to their master, something that would make their master happy. Yaxley turned to me and grabbed my arm roughly, digging his fingers into me. I gasped in shock and he turned on the spot. Grimmauld Place came out of focus and Hogsmeade slid into perfect view. My heart sank as I realized he was taking me back to Hogwarts, to Severus. My freedom hadn't even lasted 24 hours. Yaxley sent a Patronus up to the castle and we started our journey to Hogwarts.

He pulled me along, up the road to Hogwarts and I protested the entire way, trying to extract my arm from his grip, but he was too strong. He kept a firm hold on me as we reached the gate and my heart rose from the place it had sunk to and started pounding furiously in my ears. Severus was waiting for us on the other side of the gate, looking as angry as ever.

The gates opened and Yaxley shoved me toward Severus. I stumbled and managed to right myself as I heard Yaxley say, "Here's your runaway bride Snape. I'd keep a firmer hold on her if I were you."

He turned around and strolled away, apparating after a short distance. I gulped and looked up at Severus who merely took my arm in the same way Yaxley had and steered me towards the school through the grounds. I couldn't believe that Severus couldn't hear my heart, which was thumping wildly and out of control. It was throwing itself against my ribcage, as if it longed to be rid of its body. My mouth became dry several times over and I was continually swallowing a lump in my throat. Severus said nothing on the way back to the school.

He guided me through the hallways until we reached his office. He gave me a small push in and closed the door behind us. I refused to turn around to face him, coward that I was. He circled me and came to stand in front of me. He folded his arms over his chest and said, "Well?"

"Well what?" I squeaked. I couldn't believe that I was scared of my own husband!

"Explain yourself," he demanded. Emboldened by his tone, I managed to say, "I thought it was pretty self-explanatory with the letter."

His face turned a rather ugly shade of red and he started screaming.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN, HOW MUCH YOUR CHILDREN MISSED YOU, AND HOW MUCH OF A MOCKERY I AM TO MY STUDENTS! ONE PERSON, ONE, SAW YOU LEAVE THE CASTLE, AND REPORTED IT TO THE WHOLE SCHOOL, MAKING EVERYONE BELIEVE THAT I'M SUCH A CAD I DROVE MY OWN WIFE AWAY! AND IT WAS EXCRUCIATING TO EXPLAIN TO THE DARK LORD AND YOUR PARENTS HOW I LET A LITTLE SLIP OF A GIRL MANAGE TO LEAVE UNNOTICED! AND NOW I AM THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF EVERYONE I KNOW, BECAUSE I CAN'T KEEP MY WIFE IN LINE! DO YOU EVEN THINK?"

I stood there, taking the full brunt of his fury, his anger, his upset attitude. He never seemed to finish, and never tapered off, but seemed to get more and more enraged the more he talked about it.

"YOUR BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN HEINOUS! YOU'VE GONE BEHIND MY BACK, RUN AWAY AND JOINED POTTER NO LESS! POTTER! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU TO DRIVE YOU INTO HIS ARMS?"

I stood there shocked at what he was saying, and decided to open my mouth.

"I didn't run into his arms you dimwit, I didn't even know he would be at headquarters!"

This enraged him even more.

"I'M NOT DONE!" he bellowed. "YOU ACCUSE ME OF TRAIPSING AROUND WITH STRANGERS WHILE YOU HOOK UP WITH POTTER BEHIND MY BACK! HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES ME FEEL? YOU WHINE AND CRY ABOUT HOW HORRIBLE I MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN I SAY OR DO SOMETHING DUMB, BUT YOU SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH IT WHEN IT'S YOU!"

"Calm down!" I barked at him. "I didn't sleep with him!"

"HOW DO I NOT KNOW THAT?" he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. He turned away and was breathing heavily from having yelled so much. When he turned back around, his face was composed and set in stone.

"I have, in your absence, thought about what is best for you and what your punishment should be. Your leaving has made me realize that I need a firmer hold on you, and my solution for that ties in well with why you left."

"You can't punish me Severus, I'm not a child!" I said hotly, actually stamping my foot in anger.

"Watch me," he snarled. My heart started pounding again and I feared what he would say next.

"Due to your behavior and your emotional instability, I think that returning you to your third floor room would be the best thing. And I think as well, for the time being, that I should keep the girls with me."

My heart hardened into ice at hearing that and the cold travelled so far it went to my lips, so that they were so numb I wasn't able to do anything more than stammer. He continued.

"You will not leave your room for any reason whatsoever. You have claimed that classes are loathsome and you feel like an outcast from all students, so you will be removed from them for the rest of the year. You will have no more classes and no visitors."

"Why don't you just send me to Spinner's End then, to be in exile?" I said hopefully. His lips curved into a grim smile and he said, "Because, my dear, that would make it too easy for you to run away."

My face fell and we both knew that he had finally won.

_Author's Note: Ah, Severus laid down the law! Even if it is a rather harsh one. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)\_


	110. Chapter One Hundred and Ten

After I placed a non-protesting Katherine, an anomaly, in her room on the third floor, I went up to my office and poured myself a strong drink. I looked around on all the walls and saw the previous Headmasters all eyeing me warily. I shrugged and turned towards the one man I really wanted to speak to.

"What an interesting way to deal with your wife Severus," Dumbledore said quietly.

I sighed and said, "Maybe I was a little harsh."

Albus raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, an indicator that I should continue.

"But she's just so…" I trailed off, not able to describe just what she was. Infuriating? Amusing? Impetuous? Decisive? Strong-willed? Granted she was all of these things, but it was hard to just choose one. I sipped my drink and said, "I know I shouldn't have yelled at her about Potter. I know that she would never. It just…"

Albus clucked impatiently and said, "Don't be so afraid to lose her! That's why you're doing all of this! You're also very hurt, and you think that showing your emotions and letting your guard down means that you're weak. So instead of discussing it, you put on an offensive front and isolate her to assert your dominance."

I was angry at that accusation. There was no deficiency in me that made me need to control my wife to keep from losing her. Preposterous.

"I'm doing this because she frequently does as she pleases with no regards to others. I'm not doing it because _I'm _insecure or afraid of losing her."

Albus rolled his eyes and said, "I know you better than anyone Severus, and I know that that's not the only reason. You're afraid of losing her. Like you lost Lily."

I slammed my drink down on the desk and made way for my living quarters, not wanting to hear anymore, but his next words stopped me.

"You can't keep her locked up forever Severus! Trust me, I know…"

There was a melancholy note in his voice and I wondered what he was talking about. I decided that maybe it was something better left alone and forcefully closed the door to my living quarters, mulling over Dumbledore's accusation that I felt weak.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	111. Chapter One Hundred and Eleven

I put Alexander back down in his crib and called for an elf, ready for lunch with my sister and her pathetic husband. I lamented the fact that the Dark Lord was nowhere near the Manor, for we would have graciously received him and him and I could have… Well, I had Alexander now, so what did that matter anymore? That had really been my only reason for bedding him in the first place, to secure my place in the Dark Lord's circle. But still, the Dark Lord was a fantastic lover, albeit a selfish one.

I glided into the dining room and sat at the long table which was already laden with delicious looking food. We began to eat in silence and I looked over at my sister and her husband.

Both of their faces were drawn in worry and lack of sleep. They didn't sleep well these days, for Merlin knew why, and they were worried about their oldest. Apparently she had run off because she was sick of schooling or something like that. I didn't see what the problem was. School wasn't so important; what mattered was the type of service one gave the Dark Lord. And that girl was going to be in a world of hurt when the Dark Lord's coup was complete.

A servant came in and tugged on Narcissa's sleeve. She looked down at him irritably and said, "What?"

The elf gulped and said, "There's a gentleman here to see you Mistress. Yaxley."

Narcissa looked over at her husband in confusion, but Lucius seemed not to hear any of this or ignored it. He merely pushed his food around on his plate listlessly. I rolled my eyes at his lack of interest in Yaxley and commanded the elf to bring him in. The elf nodded and disappeared from the room briefly to get Yaxley. When he strolled into the room, we all rose. He gave a little bowing motion to Narcissa and me and shook Lucius's hand.

"I have news," he said shortly. "I found your daughter."

Narcissa gasped and immediately most of the worry lines left her face. "Where did you find her Yaxley?"

"At the old Order Headquarters. Potter and his friends infiltrated the Ministry and accidentally led me there. I went in and there she stood. I took her back to Severus, who didn't look too pleased with her," he said.

Narcissa nodded slowly and after a minute of silence said, "Thank you Yaxley for finding my daughter. Would you stay for dinner?"

He shook his head and put a hand up. "No, I must go back to work. I just thought I would let all of you know." He bowed stiffly again and left abruptly. I sank down into my chair and resumed my meal.

"The Dark Lord's not going to be happy when he finds that she went to Potter," I said in an offhanded remark. Narcissa burst into tears and ran from the room, wailing as she went. I wondered what could be the matter with her. And apparently she had never discussed it with her husband because he sat there, looking as confused as ever. I shrugged and helped myself to some potato salad.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	112. Chapter One Hundred and Twelve

Many days passed after Severus put me on lockdown. I was happy to learn that when he said he would keep the twins, it didn't mean a total separation from them. He would bring them in evenings with him and he would sit there in stony silence. He would make no attempt to talk to me and I wouldn't make an attempt to talk to him. While I was happy that he had stopped making me go to classes, I was angry that I was in isolation and that he didn't deem me fit to look after my own daughters. I was also angry that I was being punished for reacting in a completely sound way to what he had done.

I spent most days sleeping a lot, since I didn't have much to do than look up at the ceiling and read books many times over. I had so few books in the room with me, and I didn't want to break my streak of silence by asking Severus to bring me different ones.

I reminisced a lot about the last few years and everything that had led to all of this. I started from first year up, remembering my meeting with Dumbledore and how he had asked me if I knew who my parents were. As clear as day, I remembered my first potions class with my imposing teacher who had faltered when he called my name on the roll and given me a strange look. He had to have been only one of a few people who knew who I was.

I remembered how we had all gone for the Sorcerer's Stone and I had stayed behind with Ron when he had been struck by the Queen of the chess set and Hermione came running back through, yelling that we needed to get an owl to Dumbledore.

And then the next year when Ginny had been possessed by Tom Riddle and opened the Chamber of Secrets, setting the basilisk on Muggleborns and then Harry's Parseltongue slip at the Dueling Club. I had known for a few years at that point to keep my mouth shut about the fact that I could speak to snakes and was doubly grateful that I hadn't let anyone know. No one but Harry, Ron and Hermione knew until I told them after the incident. I shuddered to think that Ginny's possession or Harry's isolation because everyone thought that he was the Heir of Slytherin could have easily been me on both accounts. But sixteen year old Riddle didn't even know who I was or that I existed until I came across him in the Chamber of Secrets.

We had looked so similar, I should have known even then. But I hadn't.

And then third year, when I constantly feared for Harry's life because of Sirius Black. The three of us, Harry, Hermione and I, went back to save Sirius when we found that he was Harry's godfather, and it was then I found I had developed feelings for him. When Harry had penned me that he was going to the World Cup, I knew I had to go, to see him and let him know how I had felt. But I couldn't, seeing as I was constantly watched by my parents. And then when Father had gone to "have a drink" with one of his "associates", Draco and I had run into the forest to wait out the onslaught of Death Eaters. Draco had insulted Harry, Hermione and Ron and I hadn't gotten my chance to tell Harry what I wanted to tell him. I remembered being distraught, thinking that Draco had cost me my chance of being with Harry. But I had told him how I felt and we started dating.

I chuckled now to think that I had been so scared of my parents then, and tried to keep it from them as long as possible. I suppose I should have gotten the hint about our relationship though, when it wasn't me that was taken down into the lake for the second task.

I penned a lot of letters to my parents, not letting on what was happening. I had pleaded with Draco, with very hard won results, to not tell them either. He had found me the day or so afterwards and we had to talk through the door since it was locked with a password I didn't know. He had told me that it was ridiculous and that I needed to tell mum and dad, but I didn't have the heart to tell them what was going on. That I was being kept prisoner in Hogwarts for days on end.

I was brought all my meals in my room and I grew restless of all the lying about and doing nothing. I wanted something to do, a project, looking after my children, anything!

After week two of this shameful existence, I heard a knock on my door. Wondering who it was, I got up off the bed, wandering towards the door. I pressed my ear up against it and said, "Who is it?"

I knew it couldn't have been Severus; he would have merely walked in. Besides, he always came in at promptly eight, never sooner, never later.

"It's Neville," came a whispered voice. My heart contracted with fear at what would happen if Severus found out that someone had found where I was. No one knew, save him, Draco and Dobby. I pushed on the door, twisted the knob. I tried to get out, but an ugly face formed from the door and mocked me with one simple word: "Password?"

"Oh, bugger off!" I said heatedly.

"Password?"

"Can I ask a couple questions to narrow it down?"

"Password?"

"Guess not. Um… Severus?"

"No."

"Katherine?"

"No."

Becoming more and more frustrated with this, I shouted, "Lily?"

"No."

I sighed a sigh that had relief and fury mixed into it. "Katherine?" Neville asked tentatively from the other side of the door.

"Just a minute Neville, I'm working on it," I called out.

I stood there for a minute and thought. Suddenly, it popped into my head.

"Dumbledore?"

"Correct," the ugly face said robotically and the door swung open to reveal Neville standing there. I was relieved to see something other than my room and someone other than my own reflection.

"Have you been alright?" he asked. He looked mildly concerned and I was glad to see that. I looked back at my room and thought about the repercussions of leaving it. I decided my need to be around other people was too great, so I walked out of the room and closed the door, hearing the finality of the click of the lock and never loving a sound more.

"Never mind me Neville, what about you?"

And indeed there were tale-tell signs that indicated that he wasn't having the time of his life. He had fresh cuts on his face and I noticed, as we started walking from the room, that he was walking with a slight limp.

"Ah, it's the Carrows. They're furious about the things I say and do. But what about you? How'd you get locked up?"

I rolled my eyes and I said, "I ran away."

He sniggered and said, "Yeah, it was all over the school by dinnertime the day you left. One of the third years saw you leave and told plenty of people; it spread like wildfire from there. And everyone thought it was because-"

He stopped there and looked rather uncomfortable. He probably didn't want to spout of the half-truths that had been circulating around the school in my absence. I decided to spare him this and said, "How did you find me?"

"I heard Draco let slip to Pansy who was apparently frantic about your whereabouts. Turns out she was worried sick about you being out there and having not turned up. I overheard and started looking for you," he supplied.

"Ah," I replied. I took in the beautiful sunlight that streamed through the windows and felt the chill in the halls. It was halfway through September and it was beginning to get colder with every day. I wished I had worn more than a simple tank top and rubbed my arms with my hands. We were headed towards the Great Hall, at lunch time, and I said timidly, "Uh Neville?"

"Yeah?" he asked blankly.

I shifted about uncomfortably and said, "I can't be seen. If Severus knew I had left my room…"

He looked at me with exasperation and knowing mixed in his face. He nodded and we turned back, taking a detour to wherever.

"Is anyone allowed in your room?" he asked.

"Nope, not even Draco," I said in a huff. I was genuinely annoyed with Severus and wished he would hurry up and let me out of my room. And then I realized I was. I could go run away, like I had before, but hide myself even more properly, somewhere no one would find me. But when I thought about running away, I felt a sense of foreboding and nausea. It would only create more problems and that wasn't what I needed at that point. And Severus would never again let me go anywhere.

It struck me that Severus had more control on me than anyone ever had, even my parents who had trained me so well to follow their every order. But at least there had been times under their rule that I had gotten away with things. Never with Severus had I gotten away with anything. This was a startling revelation and I was suddenly filled with an urge to run away, very far away so that I could be under no one's control, so that I could be my own person again. But life without Severus would have been a lonely one. Much lonelier than the life I led now.

I felt myself softening slightly towards Severus. I knew he only wanted to protect me, and he was probably very hurt. But I was hurt too. And did protecting me mean that he had to lock me away? I wanted to bang my head against the wall, my head hurt so much from thinking everything over and my heart from trying to see both sides emotionally.

Could I blame Severus for loving me too much and wanting to keep me from harm's way, for wanting to have a wife who would actually listen to him every once and a while? It wasn't much to ask for I thought.

"Neville," I said suddenly. "I have to go. I have to go back to my room."

He turned to me, absolutely bewildered. "What do you mean?"

I sped towards the stairs, climbing them two at a time, leaving a confused Neville in my wake, wanting to get to my room as soon as possible, so that maybe Severus would come sooner, so we could make up and I could tell him I was sorry. And maybe we could forget everything; maybe he would apologize for doing the unspeakable with that other woman the night we fought. I thought maybe I was going mad, but I only wanted to go and see Severus. I was tired of being angry; I wanted to just be the way we were.

I reached my room and pushed the door open, ready to wait for Severus to come and see me at eight. But I didn't have to. He was sitting there, on my bed, his arms folded and a blank expression on his face. I instantly became afraid and contemplated running away, but figured that would be cowardly and wouldn't solve anything.

"Dobby came and fetched me, saying that the "Miss" wasn't in her room when he came to deliver lunch," he started, his eyes flickering over to my desk momentarily. I followed his eyes and saw a tray laden with sandwiches and iced pumpkin juice. I immediately, despite the situation, longed for a sandwich, since I hadn't had anything to eat since the night before.

"I am at my wit's end," he said, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. I wanted to shrink against the wall. Only moments before I had been so eager to see him, but now all I wanted to do was disappear and hide from him. I was a bloody coward.

Seemingly from nowhere at first, and then realizing the squeaky voice I had heard came from my own mouth, I said, "Well, I'm at my wit's end too!"

In the back of my mind I contemplated several potions that might help me with my rampant and irregular mood swings. One moment I was eager to see him, the next afraid, and then the next defiant. I also contemplated my obvious need to make every situation I was in worse than it really was by opening my mouth. That was something that had to be fixed.

He was breathing hard and heavy through his nostrils, as if he were a bull preparing to charge at a matador. "What?" he said in a rather incredulous voice.

I strode up to him and pushed a tiny finger in his chest, all the while saying, "I _loathe_ being locked up like a common criminal. I _hate _that you took my daughters away from me, and I _despise _the fact that after all this, you haven't once apologized to me!"

He looked rather taken aback and said, "What would I have to apologize for?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Either he really thought he had done nothing wrong, or the one night stand he had with a woman was such a casual and usual occurrence that he had been able to put it from his mind without much remorse. I was incensed.

"Oh, for accidentally leaving your dirty laundry around! What do you think Severus?"

His eyes narrowed and he said, "Sarcasm is not your friend right now."

I threw my hands up in the air and said, "Think back a couple of weeks ago when you _cheated _on me. You haven't apologized for that."

Something that looked like a spark of recognition came into his eyes and he said, "About that-"

I raised my eyebrows, sure that they were in danger of disappearing into my hairline and he cut himself off. Then his face became angry and he said, "You left this room without my permission."

I rolled my eyes and said, "I turned seventeen ten months ago, and I am legally an adult. You can't order me around like a house elf! And don't try and turn this on me right now, we were discussing your transgressions."

"Ah, but we were discussing _yours _before you became 'righteously indignant' and started shouting about my misdeeds," Severus said with a cruel smile on his lips.

I stood there, speechless. I couldn't argue with him, he was right. He realized he won and smiled again.

"You know, the saddest thing about all this was I was thinking about bringing you back to our living quarters and letting you roam around on your own," he said nastily.

I snorted, "Yeah right, you weren't planning on letting me out. You want to keep me here as long as possible so you have total control!"

His face turned an ugly shade of red and he said with gritted teeth, "This isn't about dominance."

"Please," I said sarcastically while rolling my eyes for not the first time that day. I thought about turning and walking away, but as if Severus could read my mind, he reached out and gripped my arm tightly. I cried out more in surprise than hurt, but his grip slackened slightly.

"It isn't," he said vehemently, with what sounded like a tinge of desperation in his voice. What was he trying to prove, and who was he trying to convince?

"Then tell me Severus," I snapped. "Tell me what locking me up in stony silence is really all about."

He let go of my arm, as if my skin had burned him. My mind flitted back to first year, when Harry said that Quirrell couldn't touch him without being burned, and I envisioned Quirrell burning to ashes trying to get his hands around Harry's neck. I brushed the thought away; the memory wasn't even mine.

"It's about keeping you safe," he said in a voice where I could barely detect even his disbelief of what he was saying.

I narrowed my eyes and said, "You're deluded if you think that's what this is about. And you're crazy for thinking I would buy it!"

"What do you want me to say then? That I'm afraid of losing you to someone else because, let's face it, no one has ever given a damn about me before really, so why would anyone start caring now? How long until you lose interest with me?"

He looked quite frantic as he spoke, and seemed almost to the point of pulling out his hair in his fruitless search of what this was really about.

"And then I lock you up, so you'll be safe and you can't lose interest in me, but I fear it's already happened because you spent the night with Potter and Weasley, two boys who are undeniably better matches for you because they're your age and could offer you the social protection you so desperately crave."

I almost laughed out loud at this, but didn't. I couldn't believe he thought I would lose interest in him, that I would find some other man! It was absurd. But obviously not to him.

"And then you remember your childhood, and all the horrible things that your father used to do to your mother, his wife, and then it escalated to the point of him killing her in front of your eyes in the living room when you were seventeen. And you think that locking your wife up is only the start of it, that eventually she'll come to hate you, and by then you'll have turned so much into your father that you won't even seem to care."

He never seemed to take a breath during his long, cold speech, and I could do nothing but look at him in wonder and despair. What an awful childhood, and what awful thoughts to have about yourself.

"You want to give her her freedom, because you feel like you've been an ass and don't want to turn into your father, but at the same time, you don't want to let her out because you're afraid she'll find someone else and that your point will be lost."

"Well, what point are you trying to make Severus?" I asked, venturing carefully. He looked at me and said, "The point that you can't do things without regards to others. You have to take others into consideration when you do things."

I felt resentment rise up in me at such insinuations. I thought about other people!

Again, as if he could read my thoughts, he said, "Think back to when you left the castle Katherine. What were you thinking about?"

"How much I wanted to get away from Hogwarts," I answered mechanically, without thinking. Apparently this wasn't the answer he had been looking for because he sank down on the bed and stared at his hands. "That's exactly what I mean," he said in a half-whisper. I had never seen him like this before. It was like inwardly losing control while outwardly managing to keep yourself mostly together.

I could tell he was in some sort of dark place at the moment. He was fearful of being caught and killed, fearful of turning into his father, fearful of losing this war and fearful of losing me to another man. And I had no idea how to help. I said the only thing I could think of, "But Ron is in love with Hermione. And Harry is in love with Ginny."

He just looked at me incredulously after my extremely ridiculous statement and didn't say a word. I squirmed and opened my mouth to say something more, but couldn't find the words. I shut it quickly and clasped my hands nervously, all while Severus looked on in faint interest mixed with amusement.

"Small comforts," he said in a low voice, unsmiling the entire time. I furrowed my brow, unable to process, trying to think of something to say, willing my brain to cease being mud-like.

"And I don't hate you," I said suddenly. "I couldn't. You know that."

"You don't hate me yet," he said, stressing the last syllable. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "I just want to leave this room," I said in a slightly pleading voice.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously contemplating something.

"Fine," he growled. "You can come back with me."

I heaved a sigh of relief and moved to hug him, but thought better about it. I didn't want to just yet. I was still hurt. Besides, Lord knew if he was going to allow me to walk around the castle at all.

But thank God I was going to have the ability to see my children whatever time of the day. Not eight o'clock at night for an hour and a half. And the space to walk around in would be bigger than the small twenty by fourteen classroom. And the rooms would have windows!

I only nodded though, staring at the ground. I was discomfited and I think Severus could see so. He stood there for a minute and stalked from the room. I sighed and sat down on the bed, my small joy at being able to leave that one room fading fast. I needed to do something about Severus, something about the things he has said to me. I couldn't believe that he had thought those things about himself. I was mildly disturbed by them and resolved to fix everything. I would start tomorrow. One day at a time.

_Author's Note: I'm sorry for this abysmal chapter and for taking so long in posting it. A few reasons: I had immense writer's block like I had never felt before, I was completely emotionally drained, and I've been pretty busy. So… yeah. I wish I had updated sooner, but I've just not been able to write it. And sorry for the chapter being so shoddy. Anyways, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see in the next couple of chapters. Until next chapter!_


	113. Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

I woke up in the middle of the night to a strange noise. I was disoriented and rubbed my hands over my eyes, trying to wake myself up and understand what was going on. I had no idea what in the world it could have been until I strained my ears and found that it was wailing and sobbing. I looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was three in the morning. I jumped out of bed and shuffled over to the twins' beds, ready to comfort them, no matter how strange it was that they were crying. They hadn't cried during the night for about two months now. I checked on both of them, leaning over into their cribs to make sure they were alright, and saw that both were fine. The wailing continued. I stiffened and figured it must have been my wife.

I wondered what it could have been that made her scream so horribly. I thought for a moment about waiting it out and letting herself yell until it was over, but she would have woken up the twins if she went on much longer. I shrugged and left my room to go and see what was wrong with Katherine.

I had been adamant about keeping the separate room policy. She hadn't made a fuss about it, but the next day she had tried talking to me. I pushed her away because I didn't want to talk to her. She didn't let up though, and I kept pushing her away, unable to talk. Today was the first day since she had moved back in that she hadn't tried to talk to me. It had been a week since we had held a conversation of any kind.

I slowly opened the door to her room, and found a curled up ball in her bed, something that looked too small and diminished to be her, even with her tiny frame. And yet, the keen wailing was definitely her voice, now that I listened to it more carefully. She was tangled up in her sheets and was in the fetal position, tears pouring down her face. I looked more closely and saw something dark on the light colored sheets and bile rose in my throat. It was unmistakably blood.

She was muttering words under her breath, words I couldn't hear, but I could hear the distress in her voice. I strode over to the bed, took her shoulders firmly, and shook her awake. Her eyes flew open after a couple of seconds and the moaning stopped, but the crying didn't.

"Severus," she whispered, and then collapsed into my arms. She cried in earnest and clutched my pajamas tightly, winding the fabric in her fists, refusing to let go. She was behaving as a child, but this time it wasn't in the infuriating way it usually was. She was obviously scared and confused and needed comfort. I figured she had a horrid nightmare.

Soon her weeping subsided and her irregular breathing became slow and deep. My heart contracted and I felt most of my anger towards her wash away. She was just so small and defenseless. She pulled away from me and I could plainly see the tear tracks on her face and the still unshed tears sparkling in her eyes. She regarded me warily, as if suspicious that I would leave immediately. I pulled her back against me, and, though she was rigid with surprise at first, she became pliant in my arms. I could feel the slow beating of her heart against my chest through the thin layers of fabric she and I were wearing.

"How many times has this happened?" I asked, wishing she would say this was the first time. Not only for her sake, but for mine; I didn't think I could bear it if this had happened all week she was back and I hadn't known anything about it.

She was quiet for a minute and then said, "Only the past few nights. It's gotten worse every night, but I guess this is the first time I cried."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She shook her head resolutely against my chest and I was ok with that. I guessed.

I peeled her off of me and pulled the covers back, lifting her arms to eye level, having suspected where the blood came from. It was again the words that the Dark Lord had cut into her arms, refreshing themselves. Katherine sighed and pulled her arms away, reaching for her bedside table.

She picked up her wand and muttered a couple words. Soon, the bloodied sheets were clean and her arms were scrubbed of blood. But the words shone there, bright, red and angry. I felt a pang of guilt. I should have been researching a way to fix this problem rather than being mad at her constantly. I swore to myself to figure out a way to do it before the next two weeks were up.

She reclined against the sheets and closed her eyes. I noticed some dark circles under her eyes that hadn't been there a week ago. I assumed that she wasn't getting much sleep, or at least not restful sleep, during the past few nights. She opened her eyes again and looked at me with unfathomable eyes.

I didn't know if she wanted me to stay with her or not. I assumed not, since I had been somewhat of an ass, refusing to talk to her. I got up to leave and I felt a slim hand in mine, tugging lightly. Surprised, I turned around and saw mournful eyes looking up at me.

"Can you stay… until I fall asleep?" she asked haltingly, biting her lip. I knew that her asking that had meant that whatever she dreamed had truly scared her, or she wouldn't have asked for help. I had a hunch that she didn't care much for her pride right now after her nightmare. I nodded and got in the bed beside her.

She snuggled up to me and put a small hand on my chest, as if trying to pin me down lest I change my mind. I smirked and looked down at her, watching her fall back into the clutches of sleep. Her breathing slowed and her face went slack. She looked supremely peaceful.

Her long hair fanned out across her pillow, and fell across her arm. Her short eyelashes barely touched her cheeks when her eyes were closed. Since the only light in the room came from the window, moonlight, half her face was in shadow. I realized with a start that I had missed this. No matter how angry I was at her for what she did, I missed being this close to her. I missed watching her as she slept, the way she sometimes wrinkled her nose at whatever she might have been dreaming about. And I had missed her trust.

I couldn't help but feel now that she trusted me as she lay sleeping. Her guard was down and I wasn't likely to find her in such a state when she woke up. She didn't trust me in her waking hours, and I was hurt by that. But I promised myself that I would change that, that I would help fix what was going on between us. She had tried for a week to no avail, but this time I was going to listen to her.

Tomorrow, I was determined to tell her the truth.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	114. Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen

I woke up to soft sunlight streaming through the large windows in my bedroom. I swiped a sleepy hand across my face and looked at the time. Six thirty. I collapsed back into the pillows, exhausted from not getting good sleep the night before. I tried to remember what happened and it all came back in a rush. The nightmare. Severus waking me up. Falling asleep next to him. I bolted upright, and my head whipped around to see if he was still there. And he was.

He was snoring slightly, as he always did, and one leg was stuck out from the sheets. It was an endearing sight. I closed my eyes and the nightmare I had came flooding back, as if I was reliving it again.

Every night, in my nightmare, I seemed to stand in a cage of sorts. Every night, I would try and fight my way out of it at first, but would stop when I found that it was electrified. I would gaze helplessly on as my daughters, grown and beautiful adults, murdered my husband in front of my eyes, laughing as they did so, with Voldemort in the background egging them on. Then they would turn to me in their brilliantly cruel glory and would flick their wands, somehow turning my electrified cage into a glass one. It would fill up with water slowly as I screamed and yelled for them to release me. All they did was laugh, over and over, and the last thing I would see before I drowned was their eyes narrowing into scarlet slits like Voldemort's, who stood behind them. I woke up every night, gasping for breath and crying.

Severus had woken me up before I drowned last night, but every night the feelings and sensations my nightmare induced became more intense. Apparently I screamed in my sleep last night. I shuddered to think that I probably screamed for help, for release from my glass cage where I could see the cruel laughter upon all of their faces.

Severus stirred and I tensed, waiting for him to blink his eyes open and sit up. He did so and looked at me curiously. I stared back at him and we sat there for a minute, not saying anything and occasionally blinking.

He cleared his throat and began to speak as soon as I did.

"You stayed."

"I wanted to tell you something."

He smiled slightly and said, "You first."

I smiled at him and said, "You stayed. I didn't expect you to."

His face fell slightly at that, but he quickly recovered. It was so fast, I almost thought that it didn't happen, but I was sure it did. I wondered what that could have been about, but brushed the thought away.

"Of course I stayed," he said gently. He reached for my hand, but I instinctively pulled it away. I wanted answers.

"What changed your mind so suddenly?" I asked. He gulped and said, "I missed you."

This statement was so simple… I didn't know what I had been hoping for, but it seemed to be working, whether I wanted it to or not. I felt myself softening towards him and feeling more generous in my forgiveness.

"And I… There's something I have to tell you," he said. He took my hands in his, which were surprisingly cool for how nervous he seemed. I couldn't fathom what he had to tell me, but was interested in hearing what he had to say.

"That night that we fought… When I went out to a bar," he began. He looked supremely apprehensive, as if he couldn't get it over with fast enough. I found myself wanting to rip my hands from his, not wanting to hear the particulars about the night he slept with some other woman, wanting to condemn him in righteous anger. But I waited it out, and was glad that I did.

"Nothing happened," he said in a final voice. "I didn't cheat on you."

I drew my hands back from his slowly, trying to process what he was saying. He had told me he did, he confirmed my suspicions about it. I thought back to that day and realized he had never really said that he did anything. He said that he had sought out other company, but never said that he slept with anyone. I felt sudden relief flood through my chest that was short lived. Soon my chest was filled with rage.

"Why did you lead me to believe that you had slept with another woman when you didn't? You! You made me believe that I had truly driven you away, into the arms of another woman!" I shouted. I threw back the covers and flung my legs over the side of the bed, touching my feet to the floor. I stood up and faced him, hands on my hips. He looked miserable.

"I wanted to tell you the other day, but you wouldn't let me," he whispered.

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you lied to me to begin with," I said in a much calmer voice.

"I'm sorry. Doesn't that count for anything?"

I looked at him, and he did truly look sorry. He looked like he wanted nothing better than to bang his head against the wall to forget it all. I didn't answer his question, but asked, "Why did you do it?"

He didn't answer for a minute. He looked past me, probably thinking about the day that he had insinuated he had done such a thing. Then he looked up at me and said, "I was hurt. I didn't know what else to do. You had hurt me; so I lashed out to try and hurt you."

I sat back down on the bed with a weary sigh and looked at my hands, mulling everything over. I understood being hurt and wanting to get back at the person who hurt you. I felt guilty thinking about the entire affair. My duplicity had led to his, which had led to me running away and then him locking me up in a room all by myself. I guessed we were tit for tat after everything.

"I understand," I said after a while. "I- I don't blame you for doing everything you did. And I hope you don't blame me. Or at least forgive me."

He sighed, an expression that sounded relieved, and said, "I do forgive you."

I smiled slightly and looked back down at my hands. I saw, rather than felt, Severus take my hand and pull me to him. I scooted across the bed and he hugged me briefly, kissing me on the top of the head. I breathed deeply and felt happy for the first time in a while. It was nice to not be fighting anymore; to have made up. This month long feud was finally over and I felt relieved. The spell was broken by hearing our children calling for us a couple rooms over.

"Guess they're awake," I murmured and I could practically feel him smirk. I disentangled myself from him and made my way off the bed, walking to the door. I felt rough hands grab me from behind and spin me around. Harsh lips descended on mine, and Severus's arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer. One hand was in my hair, the other on the small of my back, all the while trying to bring me ever closer to him. The kiss was electric, the kind that tingled all the way down to your toes and back up, giving you a heady feeling. I slid my arms around his neck, bringing myself up closer to him. Or bringing him down closer to me. I couldn't tell. Suddenly he broke away and looked down at me, his black eyes like dark tunnels.

"Welcome back," he said with a smirk. I smiled back and him and said, "It's good to be back."

_Author's Note: The truth comes out! Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, comment with what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	115. Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen

Months passed by and I did nothing much more than take care of my children and roam about the school. I talked with Neville sometimes, and he filled me in on what he, Ginny and Luna were doing. They painted things like "Dumbledore's Army: Still Recruiting" on the walls and gave the Carrows a hard time. I thought it was amazing, but it annoyed Severus, and Filch, to no end.

"Those damn kids won't stop vandalizing the walls!" Filch howled in Severus's office one day. I peeked out of the living quarters and saw his face flushed, red as a beet. Spittle was flying from his mouth and his mouth was twisted into a grimace. I almost giggled. I knew the three of them were behind it, and it brought me joy to see Filch in such a state over some words on the walls.

"Headmaster, I know it's Longbottom, Weasley and Lovegood! Just because you haven't caught them at it, it doesn't mean that we can't punish them."

I snorted from my hiding place, something that the well trained ears of Filch could hear easily. He whipped his head around, practically sniffing out the perpetrator, and his eyes locked with mine. He sneered and said, "What've you got to do with this?"

"Nothing," I said breezily. "But I do believe that in a fair legal system, the alleged guilty party is innocent until sufficient evidence is brought forth to prove them otherwise."

"Bu-but," he sputtered, spittle again flying from his mouth. He turned to Severus. "I want some punishment Headmaster!"

Severus looked rather bored as he answered Filch, saying, "As much as I would love to give those three the 'punishment' they so clearly deserve, Mrs. Snape is right. They are innocent until proven guilty."

Looking furious as ever, Filch stormed from the room grumbling and muttering under his breath. I couldn't suppress my mirth any longer and chortled while Severus quirked an eyebrow in my direction. I sobered up pretty fast and assumed a look of innocence. "Yes?" I asked politely.

"You shouldn't irritate him like that," he said accusingly. I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, but as much as you dislike those three, you'll never dislike them as much as you do Filch."

"That may be," he countered, "but they push my buttons as much as Filch does. Being Headmaster is extremely unrewarding and exhausting, I'll never know why Albus always exonerated the position."

"Because you're not Headmaster of your own volition," came a voice behind Severus's head. Severus turned around to face a beaming Dumbledore and I tittered. Severus gave him an ugly look and said, "I can't wait for this war to be over."

"Neither can I," Dumbledore and I chorused and I grinned at him. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I'm going to the bar for a couple drinks."

I nodded and said in a faux stern voice, "Don't have too much."

"Yes ma'am," he said sarcastically while kissing me on the cheek goodbye. I smiled and he left, leaving me alone in the office. I stood there for a few minutes, thinking about nothing. I walked back toward the living quarters when the door to the office opened. I turned around and saw flaming red hair. Instinctively, I ducked behind a table and saw Ginny walk through the door, followed by Neville and Luna. They looked to be on a mission, but I couldn't fathom what they would have to do in the office. They tiptoed over to the case that held the sword of Gryffindor and opened it. They looked at it rather reverently until Ginny seemed to gather enough courage to pluck it from the case. They were stealing the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

I came out from behind the table and said, "Stop!"

They all froze and turned around slowly, apparently fearing that Severus had come back. When they saw it was me, they relaxed and Ginny had the insolence to give me a sneer worthy of my brother.

"It's only you," Ginny said hatefully. "Come on guys, let's go."

"You can't leave!" I said emphatically. "Besides, what would you do with the sword of Godric Gryffindor?"

"We're not inclined in the slightest to tell you that," Ginny said spitefully. She moved towards the door, sword in hand and gestured that Neville and Luna follow her.

"She can help though," Luna said in that quality of voice which was all her own. "She can help us get the sword from the office undetected."

"What are you planning on doing with it?" I asked again, annoyed that no one determined me worthy enough of such classified information.

"We're going to give it to Harry," Neville said.

I was perplexed. What would Harry need the sword of Gryffindor for? I asked them such and Ginny gave an exasperated sigh. Luna responded, saying, "Dumbledore left the sword to Harry in his will. It belongs to him."

I considered this and said, "But that sword isn't Dumbledore's to give away. It's the property of the school, and the sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor. Harry isn't its rightful owner."

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Come on guys, let's go!"

Seemingly reluctantly, Luna and Neville followed. I leaned back against the table, watching them leave, not even trying to stop them. They would get caught, I was sure of it. No sooner had I thought this, the door burst open, my husband flinging the three of them in while brandishing the sword. He strode over to the case and locked the sword back in it. Then he marched over to his desk and stood in front of it, crossing his arms as he did so, fuming.

"So, you thought you would steal the sword of Gryffindor," he started off, his eyes narrowing and his voice growing colder as he spoke. "Why is that?"

They all looked at each other shiftily and I supposed they must have taken a vow of silence, seeing as none of them spoke for quite a while. After a few minutes, Severus became angry and spat, "Well?"

Seeing as none of them were going to talk, I said, "They were going to give it to Harry."

He never took his eyes off them, but I could feel his intense gaze upon me. "And why is that?"

Emboldened by Severus's frigid tone, Ginny said, "Because it belongs to him. He drew it out of the Sorting Hat, and Dumbledore left it to him in his will."

Severus made a noise that sounded like a cross between a mirthless laugh and a disparaging "tsk". "The sword of Godric Gryffindor is a highly prized artifact that belongs to no one, let alone Potter. Just because Dumbledore sought to pass it on to him in his will, it does not make it his, because it was never Dumbledore's to give away."

He moved closer to them at a prowling gait, like a predator about to close in on its prey. I almost felt sorry for the three of them; they were only doing what they thought was right. But they all looked like they could hold their own. Ginny's beautiful and fierce face reminded me of a harpy, and I pitied the weak fool who crossed her. Neville was outright defiant, taking a pose that spoke of leadership and resiliency. And then Luna, whose serene expression would make the untrained eye believe she was merely daydreaming, but I knew that beneath the tumbling dirty blonde hair and slight figure, there was a core of steel, unbreakable and unbendable. They had come to do battle, and no matter what Severus dished out, they were prepared to fight back in their own way.

"Detention!" Severus snapped. "All three of you! And you can take it with the bumbling Hagrid. I believe he has work to do in the Forbidden Forest."

He smiled a nasty smile and said, "Let's hope that when you all go in, you'll come out more obedient. And you should pray that you come out in one piece."

He walked over to the fire that was burning merrily in the grate and threw some powder in. He stuck his head in the fireplace and yelled, "Minerva! Come get your students!"

He withdrew his head from the fireplace and looked over at me for the first time since he came back. "Go get my cloak," he ordered, and I wasn't in the state of mind to object his tone or the manner he asked me. I fetched it for him out of his wardrobe, and when I came back I saw McGonagall in the office.

"They have detention with Hagrid, Minerva. Now if you would please escort them to their dormitories," he finished lazily, apparently finished with his anger and tirade. She nodded and ushered the three of them out of the office, and, if I strained my ears hard enough, I could swear I could hear her admonishing them about getting caught in their failed attempt. I shook my head and handed Severus his cloak. He shrugged it on and I asked, "Why did you come back?"

"I forgot this," he said, indicating the article of clothing I had just given him. I straightened the collar and looked up at him, his cold, dark eyes lit with a kind of warmth that was reserved for his family. His mouth, however, contradicted his eyes, and was set in a firm, straight line.

"Thank you for not giving them a worse punishment," I said quietly. I knew that the Forbidden Forest was nothing for them, and that Hagrid could easily make sure they were ok. I was glad he hadn't punished them too harshly, since they had thought that they were doing the right thing and were trying to help Harry, something that was the goal of everyone in that room. Severus shrugged nonchalantly, but I could tell he was pleased by my gratitude.

I got up on my tiptoes and gave him a short kiss. He smiled and wordlessly left so he could go have a drink in relative peace and quiet. I slumped into a chair and stared into space. Living a sort of double life was exhausting.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	116. Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen

Christmas rolled around and Severus and I were forced, yet again, to go to a party thrown by my mother. I suspected this one would be much cheerier though, for the Death Eaters at least, since they believed themselves to be on the winning side.

"I don't want to go to another revolting party. These people make me sick!" Severus furiously whispered in my ear as we were literally walking up the drive way to Malfoy Manor. He was dressed in his usual black, something I knew my mother would lament about, and I was dressed in a deep, emerald green dress, complete with dangerous and shockingly high heels. I didn't like heels much, but if I could seem at least a normal height for the night, that would be an accomplishment of sorts.

"Yes Severus, let's go back to the school," I said sarcastically. "We'll just tell them that you quit and you hate their guts so much that you couldn't stomach another evening with them."

He stiffened and said, "Well, there's no need to be so snippy."

"You started it."

"Did not."

"Look, you can get as drunk as everyone else if you need to," I said, rolling my eyes in the process. "But- hello mother!"

My mother was sweeping across the grounds, looking elegant as ever in robes of red. I thought faintly back to Muggle Studies, in which we sometimes studied Muggle culture throughout the ages. A hundred years ago, virginal girls and demure matrons would never have dared wear red because it was the color of a whore. It was weird how things changed throughout time, and how different Muggles were from us in some respects. I smirked slightly at my train of thought and brought myself back to the present, to my mother looking at me in confusion.

"Yes?" I asked, reflecting her facial expression.

"I just told you that Draco is sick and can't come out of his room," Mother said. "Why did you smile?"

I frowned at that. Draco very rarely got ill and never had to be healed, unless it was for physical injuries. But even then that was rare, and was mostly from Quidditch injuries. I looked over at Severus, who didn't seem to be buying it either. I shrugged and handed off the twin I was holding to my mother and asked her to watch her for a while, while I checked on Draco. I strode away before I heard her assent.

I knew Draco was faking, but why? _You know why. Who would want to come to this dastardly party?_

The voice in my head made a very good point.

I strolled through the darkened corridors of my childhood home and easily found Draco's room. I pushed the door to his room with knocking and, without preamble, asked, "Why are you faking Draco?"

I caught him trying to hurriedly put a shirt on, or at least that's what it looked like. It was buttoned up halfway, but I could see even from across the room that they were uneven. He stiffened and stood straight up, pushing his hair from his eyes. He reached towards his desk chair, on the back of which his belt was slung over. He started sliding the belt through the loops and said, "What's it got to do with you?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Only that you're officially a Death Eater and our mother is hosting this party, so you should be attending it."

He paused and said, "You know, I don't think I heard anything about it having to do with you in that statement."

I rolled my eyes and sauntered over to his bed, setting myself down primly. I stared at him and said, "Your shirt is uneven."

He swore under his breath and hurriedly fixed it, fumbling once or twice. I almost laughed, if it weren't for the expression on his face. He looked agitated, anxious and underfed. He also looked as if he hadn't gotten as much sleep as he should. I rose from the bed, concernedly, and asked, "Draco, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine!" he spat. He adjusted his collar and rushed over to the window, opening it.

"Sneaking out? Draco the time to do it is when people AREN'T going to miss you," I said in a sarcastic tone, annoyed at his behavior, but at the same time understanding it. This war, being in with these people, was a strain on us all. At least, the people who didn't religiously follow the Voldemort-Pureblooded-Society- Kill-all-the-Muggleborns Doctrine

"I'm going to meet Pansy," he said in a rough voice. He seemed unhappy about it, and I put a hand on his shoulder, one he thankfully didn't shove away.

"Are you and Pansy ok?" I asked quietly. I couldn't imagine that after what they had been through together they would fall apart now.

"No, it's not that. I mean, yes, we're fine. But it's all this," he said, gesturing towards the room at large. "The damned meetings and the subservience. The hate crimes and the loyalty. I feel none of it. I feel nothing but contempt," he said bitterly.

"I can't help but feel that Potter got at least one thing right, and that was choosing the side he did," Draco said in a choked voice. I realized my brother was about to cry. His eyes were furiously blinking back tears, and his face was flushed. His mouth was set in a grim line, and I could tell he was grinding his teeth together to keep him from crying, by the set of his jaw. I pitied Draco. He and Harry both had no choice in this war, and Draco couldn't help but feel jealous that Harry had been thrust onto the side of right while he was condemned to a mad man's schemes.

I wrapped my arms around him, trying to comfort him and I knew the moment I did that he started to finally cry. This war was so hard on everyone… Even the strongest of people had to break. And, granted, Draco had never been that strong, but he had done beautifully so far.

He dried his eyes quickly and wouldn't look at me. "I- I have to get going," he muttered. I watched sadly as he climbed out the window and jumped. I would have normally been scared for him, but I wasn't too bothered; his room was on the first floor and it was only a couple feet. He scampered off into the darkness, not looking back once. I slowly closed the window and locked it, making sure no intruders could get in. Well, Muggle intruders at least. Which wasn't even plausible in the first place, since our land was made Muggle-repellant about a hundred years ago. I sighed at my train of thought and walked out of Draco's room, making sure to close it quietly.

A large figure blocked me from advancing any further. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I saw Yaxley standing there, grinning down at me.

I suddenly became very annoyed with him and snapped, "What do you want?"

"Your mother sent me to fetch you since you were taking such a long time," he said casually, placing one hand on the door and leaning on it, essentially trapping me. I could definitely smell a hint of alcohol on his breath, but he wasn't drunk. Yet. Whatever he was doing, he was doing it with a pretty clear mind.

"I'd like to get back to the party, back to my husband," I said icily.

He chuckled softly and said, "We both know that's a lie."

My heart began to race and I said, "What do you mean?"

He snorted and said, "I mean, princess, that it's common knowledge among a lot of the Death Eaters that you and Snape don't love each other. And no one can blame you. He's way too old for you, like a shriveled prune. And you're a ripe peach, just waiting to be plucked."

I want to take a moment and insert here that in no unclear terms, he literally licked his lips after that statement. I wanted to vomit.

I realized what he was saying and retorted, "And you think that you're an appropriate age for me? You're old enough to be my father. Besides, I'm married."

To this, he said loudly, "It's also common knowledge in our circle that you and Snape have no intimate relationship whatsoever."

I narrowed my eyes and said, "As if you didn't make your intentions clear enough a minute ago."

"Come on," he coaxed. "It must get lonely. Not having anyone to be able to… take care of you, so to speak."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust and said, "Get away from me Yaxley." I tried shoving him out of the way, but he just stayed a solid wall, and even leaned in closer.

"Why don't we have some fun?" he asked in an innocent enough voice. I was revolted.

"I'm married!" I said ferociously, trying to make myself keep calm, refusing to let the situation get out of hand.

"That never stopped Bellatrix," he remarked, brushing a curl away from my face. At this point, I was gauging how long, and hard, I would have to scream before someone noticed.

"Bellatrix is nothing but a whore," I said harshly. "Drunk with power. Something I am not."

He blinked, seemingly rather surprised to have heard me say that. He recovered though and leaned in closer, so close I could almost count all of the faded freckles on his cheeks and nose.

"It'll be a night you won't for- ugh!"

I had kneed him in the gut and he doubled over. I stood there in shock for a second; surprised I had actually done harm, but realized a second too late that I should have run. He lunged toward me and I dodged it clumsily, giving a small scream and pulling out my wand. I threw a hex in his direction, but he was quick with a shield charm. He looked at me warily over his wand and lowered it, sneering.

"You can't do me harm, princess. You don't have the guts, or the skill," he mocked.

"But I can," came a snarling voice. Apparently I must have screamed louder than I thought, because my husband stood there, panting and out of breath with wand raised, and my mother who looked absolutely horrified. And then, behind them, most of the party-goers. I swore under my breath at the amount of people who had to witness this.

Yaxley looked at him easily, something he would later regret, and said, "Severus, I was just offering your wife some comfort."

I choked on a barely suppressed snort/sarcastic laugh and said, "Yes, the comfort of your bed."

Severus looked as if he was barely tempering his anger as he lowered his wand. What surprised me was that my mother spoke first.

"Kindly leave my home and don't accost my daughter again," she said eyes bright and dangerous.

Yaxley merely shrugged and left, throwing me a parting, lecherous smile. Severus stared straight ahead as Yaxley passed him and didn't move until everyone else had mostly drifted away to do other things.

He approached me slowly and said in a rather indifferent voice, "Are you alright?"

I couldn't fathom why he would be so remote at such a time. Of course I wasn't alright, I was freaking out! And I was just about to heatedly tell him as much when Voldemort came out from the shadows. I stood there in amazement as he looked on in what could possibly be conceived as fatherly concern. My real father stood on his right, looking extremely uncomfortable with everything.

"Are you alright?" Voldemort began. "I have to ask because you didn't seem too keen on taking Yaxley up on his offer."

I got so angry that sarcasm was my only tool at that point. "And why wouldn't I want to take Yaxley up on his offer when it consisted of lovingly pinning me against the wall and hurling sweet insults in my face."

He looked at me strangely, decided I wasn't worth his time, and turned to Severus.

"You seemed rather infuriated Severus," Voldemort stated. It was a fact, and yet a question at the same time. He wanted to know why.

Severus looked bored and indifferent as he answered, "As much as she may aggravate me, Katherine is still my wife. Which makes her my property. And I don't appreciate it when others try to poach my belongings."

I stood there, slack jawed, for a moment until I realized myself and shut my mouth. I was appalled. Never had I thought something like that would come out of his mouth. I knew it was a ruse, but I couldn't help but feel small and unimportant. I sucked it up though and got over myself. Severus hadn't meant it as a slap in the face; he was only trying to protect us.

"Perhaps Katherine should go home," Father said kindly. Mother walked over to me and pulled me into a fierce embrace.

"This is her home!" she said ferociously. "She doesn't need to be anywhere but here, with her mum."

I suddenly realized how much my mother had missed me. All those times she had begged me to stay, for my own apparent mental and emotional health, it had been because she needed me, not the other way around. She wasn't ready for her little girl to have gone off and had a family and lived on her own without her since about age sixteen. And this place had to have been as much as a hell hole for her as it was to me. My heart twisted in my chest as I thought of all the times we could have leaned on each other and I left her out in the cold, trying to hold myself up or asked Severus to help me out sometimes. My heart suddenly yearned for my mother, and I didn't want to let go. I had been without her for so long; I had forgotten how it felt to be held in such a way by your mother. I almost started crying from how much I realized I had missed her.

I had gone nearly two years without my mother. But that was going to change. I wasn't going to avoid the house anymore if Voldemort was here or not. My mother needed me; I needed her too.

I looked over at Severus who had an impassive expression on his face. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight?" I asked quietly.

"It does not bother me where you sleep, so long as it isn't in a muddy ditch. I think your family would have my head if I allowed that."

I almost grinned at his sarcasm, but kept my face clean. I hugged my mother back who looked surprised at my choice. Wordlessly, she steered me away from the other men and took me to my room.

It was exactly as I left it. Hot pink walls, a rather lacy bedspread, posters of my favorite bands. A typical teenager's room. I almost laughed out loud at the thought that I led a rather untypical teenage life. She ushered me into the prim seat in front of the vanity and started pulling pins out of my hair, fussing with me as she hadn't in a long time. The last time I could remember us even spending this much time together was when she hurriedly got me ready for my wedding.

I still recalled the trepidation I felt as I walked down the aisle, the warm feeling I had that the ceremony was just for Severus and I, because only we knew how we felt. A thought dawned on me, and before I could refrain myself from saying it, I asked, "Do you love Father?"

I wanted to smack myself for asking such a question.

My mother paused in the act of brushing out my hair for the slightest of moments and then resumed with a valiant expression on her face.

"Of course I do, why would you ask?"

I shrugged. "I've just heard you say before that your marriage was arranged."

She sighed and said, "That is true. But I care for your father very much."

I didn't press the issue any further. I could tell it pained her that she didn't love him, as a woman should love her husband, after all this time, but had only achieved that kind of affectionate love that comes with years of bonding with someone. Certainly more than brother and sister, but not quite husband and wife.

She set the brush down on the table and squeezed my shoulders. "I just want _you _to be happy."

I smiled and said, "I am Mother."

I dressed in a nightgown and crawled into bed, my mother looking on rather forlornly. I invited her to stay with me for a while and she jumped on the invitation enthusiastically.

I snuggled up next to my mum, forgetting for a while that I had just been assaulted by a man. Forgetting that I was a grown woman with a husband and children that I took care of on a daily basis, but feeling like a child again. It was a warm fuzzy feeling, one that I felt I had been robbed of for the past couple of years, even though it was partially my fault. I felt so safe and secure. I drifted off to sleep, praying reality wouldn't come back in the morning so I could be my mother's little girl for a little while longer.

_Author's Note: I know this chapter isn't as good as usual, but here it is! I hope you guys enjoyed. I actually kind of teared up a bit writing the last part. Anyways, as always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	117. Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen

I was fuming from what Yaxley had done to Katherine. It had taken everything I had to not kill him with my bare hands when I found them, wands drawn and panting slightly. It hadn't taken much brain power to figure out what had happened. Katherine's hair had begun to unartfully fall from its updo and the strap of her dress was slightly off the shoulder.

Katherine was steered away by her mother and it was taking all I had to not run after her and make sure she was alright, that she wasn't harmed. I decided to usefully channel my anger and concern by hunting down Yaxley and making him pay.

I didn't have to go far. I stalked off toward the front door, hoping to catch him. He was by the front gate, having a cigarette. He was leaning against the wall that surrounded the estate, his pose easy and light, as if his conscious wasn't bothering him. This infuriated me even further.

I marched over to Yaxley who greeted me with a smile on his face. I didn't even pull out my wand; I pulled his cigarette out, threw it on the ground, and gave him an upper cut as a hello.

His head jerked back and bounced against the wall. He grabbed the back of his head with a gasp of pain and pulled it back; there was blood on his hand.

"What the hell was that for?" he yelled at me.

"For trying to sleep with my wife," I growled.

He felt around his jaw and winced when he touched it. "I think you broke my jaw!"

I sneered and said, "It's nothing less than what you deserve. Don't ever try and seduce my wife again, or I'll kill you."

"What do you care? You're not in love with her, you're not having sex. Why shouldn't I have a go at a woman who's in a relationship where she can't get any satisfaction out of it?"

"Because as much as she raises my ire, she's still my wife. Which makes her my property. And I don't appreciate it when people try to make off with what is rightfully mine."

It pained me to say those words, and I thought back to the look that flashed across Katherine's face when I had said that. She had been so hurt to hear that, as if I hadn't cared for her at all. But then she sobered up and I saw understanding flit upon her face. Then her expression became stoic, almost defiant. I would have given anything to have read her mind at that moment.

"Sad to see that you're stuck in the old ways Severus," he said with a smirk. "Besides, she wouldn't have me anyway."

"Because you're a greasy slimeball, that's why," I said viciously. "She has standards. And by the looks of it, you didn't seem to be giving her much of a choice anyways."

He shrugged nonchalantly, something I wanted to punch him for again, and said, "Women don't know what they want. You have to show them, lead them to it for them to understand."

I thought that was the most sexist thing I had ever heard, and even I was so offended I almost felt physically ill.

"Stay away from my wife," I said for parting words. "And get off the property, before I bodily throw you from it."

He shrugged again, a quirk that was making me itch to get him with a right hook. He walked over to the gate and passed through it, throwing me an insolent smile before he disapparated. I leaned back against the wall, trying to contain my rage. I couldn't believe Yaxley had tried to assault my wife. And how scared she must have been. But she had thankfully seemed to be able to hold her own.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to hold down my anger. Once I felt sufficiently calmed down, I walked back up to the Manor to pick up my daughters and head home.

_Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed! As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	118. Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

After the episode at my mother's Christmas party, Severus wouldn't allow me to leave the castle whatsoever for months. Not for Hogsmeade and not for my mother's house. When the Easter holidays came around, I put my foot down and told him that I was going to spend the holidays with my mother, and that was that.

"You can't go there! It's too dangerous," Severus said with clenched jaw.

"Severus, I need to go! Besides, I don't think Yaxley will try anything like that again," I said defensively.

"Because you're too trusting," he muttered.

"Really now?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Look, I'm going for the Easter holidays. At least it's only a couple days."

He gave me a hard and critical stare. After a minute, it softened and he took my hand. "Promise you won't go looking for trouble? Promise you'll be safe?"

I laughed and said, "I promise." _Though I can't promise that trouble won't find me._

I left the day after with Draco who had decided to go home as well. We chatted in an amicable way on the train, not bothered by Crabbe, Goyle or Pansy. In fact, not many people were on the train. Some people had already left the school over the Christmas holidays, whether they were trapped by the Death Eaters or going into hiding. In fact, I hadn't seen Luna since the Christmas holidays. I assumed she had just gone into hiding like everyone else, but hadn't had the chance to ask Neville about it since he spent most of his time in detention these days.

When the train pulled into the station, Draco and I got off with the few other students who were on. I found my mother and gave her a hug. Father wasn't able to receive us at the station since he had been broken out of Azkaban and was wanted. When Mother was finished hugging me, she pulled Draco into a tight embrace, noting how thin he was. And I could see as well that he was thinner still from when I had last had a good look at him at Christmas. The stress was obviously getting to him. I felt a surge of affection and concern for my brother, and wished that our family could just be left out of such nonsense.

We left the train station rather solemnly, and didn't talk much. We made it to a safe alley and apparated to Malfoy Manor. We made it up the drive in silence, and I couldn't help but feel that maybe I had made a mistake in coming home for the holidays. I felt that something wasn't right. I shook my head and pushed the thought away.

I sauntered down the hallways, making my way to my room. I found it and pushed the door open, and, to my surprise, found Severus.

"What- what in the world are you doing here?" I whispered fervently, a smile breaking out on my face.

"I had to make sure you made it here alright," he said softly. His voice made my heart melt. The look in his eyes was so sincere, and he seemed genuinely concerned about me. I couldn't help but smile. Then my curved lips turned firm and I said, "You've seen me here safe. Now you can go back to the castle."

He got a wicked gleam in his eyes and he said, "Are you sure you don't want to spend any time together before I leave?"

I cottoned on to what he was insinuating and said, "We could be very well caught."

I moved to get my trunk and hauled it onto the bed, opening it so I could begin to unpack. He came up behind me and nuzzled my neck.

"But that's the fun part," he whispered in my ear. Shivers went down my spine, but I stood unyieldingly. "No, we can't," I admonished lightly. He looked forlorn and pouted a little bit. I nearly giggled; Severus so very rarely pouted.

"You owe me one," he said, leaning in for a goodbye kiss. "Promise," I said laughingly and watched him disapparate silently from my room. Instantly I regretted having let him go. I missed him already.

I looked at the watch on my wrist and saw that it was going to be dinner soon. I left my unpacking for later and hurried a brush through my hair. Knowing it wouldn't be suitable enough for Mother, I pulled it back into a braid so it looked somewhat presentable.

I exited my room at the same time Draco did. We stood there for a few seconds before he offered me his arm to escort me to dinner. I grinned and took it; it was something we used to do as children, just for fun. Mother and Father used to laugh at our silliness.

"Are you glad to be home?" I asked quietly, hoping no one would overhear us. He shook his head slightly; I could tell he was just as miserable in this home as I was. But I was here for Mother.

"What about you?" he asked in the same hushed tone. I almost laughed with sarcasm and said, "I've only been avoiding the place for about two years now."

"Right, of course," he said. He looked rather stiff, and the circles under his eyes that I had noticed at Christmas had gotten darker. I was afraid that soon they would permanently be etched into his skin.

Soon we reached the dining room, and I was happy to see no Voldemort. He must have been out doing something, and because of that, Bellatrix looked sullen. Father was sitting at the table and got up to great Draco and me warmly; and yet again, I could sense the franticness and doom that surrounded this family from the look in his eyes.

Mother walked in, the baby in her arms, and I was shocked to see that Alexander was so big. And then I had to remind myself that he was already one year old. I looked over at Bellatrix, who seemed none too thrilled about the entrance of her son and pitied little Alexander. I wanted to scoop him up and love him, love him like a mother should, love him like Bellatrix wouldn't.

It felt weird to think of Alexander with a motherly affection, and not a sisterly one, like I should. I had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that he was my half-brother that part of his blood ran through my veins. It unsettled me.

We began dinner, which was a quiet affair. No one really spoke much, as was custom in the Malfoy household, and apparently the Black household as well since Bellatrix made no attempt at conversation. When dinner was over, I plead a headache and went to my room. I didn't have a headache, and usually never got one, but I wanted some time alone.

I missed Posy and Melanie. The most time I had ever spent away from them was when I left Hogwarts in September the year previously, and even that was a little over twenty-four hours. I had horrible separation anxiety, and was itching to get back to them. I missed their cute little smiles and their twin talk that Severus and I could never make head or tails of. But they probably didn't miss me, they were probably happy they had daddy all to themselves.

I smiled and unpacked the rest of my things. I took a book off one of my book shelves and started reading it, one of my favorites. It was a Muggle book called Sense and Sensibility. It was about two sisters who tried to find love in the most unlikely of places, thinking they would never find a happy ending with the men they loved. It was heart-wrenching every time I read it.

At about midnight, I got up, stretched, and walked out the door. I peeked down both sides of the hallway, making sure no one was up. I was thirsty and wanted a drink of water, and if no one was up I wanted to make sure to be quiet.

I tiptoed to the kitchens and filled a glass of water, taking a long, refreshing sip.

And then I heard wailing.

It was so sudden, I was so startled; I dropped my glass of water to the floor and it shattered into a hundred pieces and the water trickled out in different directions over the flagstone. The glass cut into my bare feet, but I hardly noticed. I pulled out my wand and ran for the cellars, the place where I was sure I had heard the screaming coming from.

When I reached the door to the cellars, I pussyfooted over to it. I checked to see if the door was locked and saw it was not. In fact, it was slightly cracked open. I pushed it open the rest of the way and sneaked down the cellar stairs. I held my breath; my heart was hammering hard in my chest, throwing itself against my ribcage. I didn't know what I would find down here; a chained up creature, a person being tortured?

I was half right about the latter. Someone was being held in the cellar; in fact, two people were being held in the cellar. I lit my wand and saw that one of them had astonishingly, heart-breakingly familiar dirty blonde hair.

"Luna!" I breathed, shocked that she was in the cellar of my family home. She raised a dirty face in my direction, and my breath hitched. One of her cheeks was swollen, like she had hit it hard on something, and I could swear that her hands were scraped and bruised. Behind her was a huddled mass that was emitting low moans and sounded like it was crying.

"Katherine? Is that you?" she asked cautiously. She edged towards the cellar door and when she could see my face, she smiled. "It is you!"

"Luna, dear Merlin, what happened?" I whispered, aghast. "You went on the train for Christmas and didn't come back!"

"Oh yes," she said in her dreamy way. "They took me off the train because Daddy was printing things they didn't like. So they took me to convince Daddy to print the things they did like."

"And they beat you up over it?" I hissed, horrified at what I saw. She shook her head and said, "No, it's just really dark down here, so we trip a lot."

"We?" I asked, curious.

"Yes, we. Mr. Ollivander and I have been down here for a while."

"How often do they feed you?" I asked concernedly; her slight figure looked like it hadn't been properly nourished in days.

"Twice a day, once at morning and once at night. But it's not very much food for me and Mr. Ollivander. A man called Peter comes down and gives the food to us. He's not too keen on talking," she explained.

I stood there and thought for a minute about what I could do to help. Obviously food and water wouldn't go amiss. Maybe a blanket. It was freezing down here, and God knew how much longer they would be here. Unless…

"Luna," I said suddenly. "If you were able to get out of here, would you have a safe place to go?"

She considered this for a moment while looking down at the ground and said, "Your feet are bleeding."

"Yes, I know," I said, brushing her comment away. "But do you have a safe place to go?"

"I suppose so. I can go back to my house," Luna said contemplatively. I shook my head. "No, that would be the first place they would look."

"I didn't think of that," she said thoughtfully. "Then I guess I have nowhere. I'll stay here. They don't treat me so bad."

I nodded, only slightly paying attention to what she was saying. I was already thinking about what the best escape route would be if I needed to get them out of there at a moment's notice. When I was finished figuring it (we could go up to one of the unused drawing rooms and jump out the window, apparating from there), I said, "Luna, do you or Mr. Ollivander want anything to eat?"

"Ooh, yes," she said delightedly. "Sandwiches would be nice."

I nodded and said, "I'll be right back."

I rushed up the stairs and made my way to the kitchen. I hastily made a mountain of sandwiches and poured a pitcher of water and one of pumpkin juice. I put these on a tray with a couple glasses and ran upstairs quickly to find a few warm blankets. I went back down to the kitchen to pick up the tray and marched down to the cellar. When I got there, Luna had roused Mr. Ollivander who looked malnourished and ready to die. I made a sympathetic clucking noise as I opened the cellar door and brought the tray over to them, setting it down on the dusty floor. When I did so, dust rose in noxious clouds and I hacked and coughed, trying to clear my lungs. How could someone live down here for such a long time?

And I thought I had it bad.

"Katherine Malfoy, yes?" Mr. Ollivander inquired. I nodded my head in affirmation and sat down as he grabbed a sandwich and wolfed it down, acting as if he hadn't eaten for days. And he may not have. I felt sickened by that thought.

"I remember your wand, like every other I've ever sold. It was Holly with dragon heartstring, 10 ¾ inches. Unyielding and particularly inflexible. Good for hexes and jinxes. A very handsome wand indeed. It was one of the only times I've ever given someone a wand to try and it worked out on the first try. I wondered why your wand would be holly, since the rest of your family was elm and hawthorne for many of them generations back. Not a holly wand to be found in the Malfoy or Black clans. But then I found you were adopted, no?"

Feeling slightly uncomfortable with this, I said, "Yes."

He bit down on another sandwich and said, "Yes, you're adopted. Your birth father was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, true? And your mother was…?"

"A Burke," I replied. "Belinda Burke." I looked down at my hands while I said this, somehow unable to look him in the eye while he was talking about family wands.

"Ah yes, I remember her wand. Not one of the prettiest I've sold, but it was very sturdy, good for healing. Hers was holly too, 11 ¼ inches with unicorn hair. Burkes usually don't have holly wands, but there can be some found in the family tree here and there. Your mother was one of them. She was an exceptionally bright witch and could do extraordinary things with her wand. It was such a pity that she died at such a young age. She could have done so much with her talents."

He said all this without much emotion, as if he were talking about the weather. I looked up at him and he was smiling at me, with his glassy orb-like eyes. I looked back down to my hands and saw that my nails had bitten into my skin, and little bits of blood were there. I couldn't fathom why I had gotten so worked up hearing about my birth mother.

"Your father's however, was the complete opposite. It was yew, 13 ½ inches with a phoenix feather core. Like fire and ice they were. And while you seem to have inherited your father's looks, you have undoubtedly come into your mother's personality. I can see it, even in the few minutes I have observed you."

I stood up, ready to take my leave. Luna looked up at me quizzically. I looked down at the pair of them and cleared my throat. "I have to get going now," I said. I pointed to the tray of sandwiches and blankets and said, "Make sure they don't catch you with that stuff or they'll confiscate it." _And punish me._

They nodded and I hurried as fast as I could out of the cellar. I shut the door behind me with a mercifully quiet click, bolted the door and ran back upstairs. I breathed heavily, still not understanding why I was so hot and bothered from hearing about Belinda. I calmed myself down and crept back to my room silently. When I was there, I locked the door and collapsed on the bed. I couldn't believe what I had found, who I had found. It was absolutely appalling. I couldn't sleep all night after finding out what had happened to Luna. But at least she wasn't dead.

The next day dawned bright and early. I was supremely tired from the night before and could be seen yawning endlessly throughout the day. It was a very quiet day spent with my mother. However, that night, all things went to hell.

I was in the drawing room, reading a book when I heard a mighty commotion out in the hall. I rose from my chair and saw several people being thrust into the room. My heart fell into the bottom of my shoes when I saw that it was Hermione, Ron, Harry, Dean and a goblin. Although, Harry's face was… I didn't understand why it was so swollen. It must have been a stinging hex. I gazed in horror as a Snatcher proclaimed that he had caught Potter and his friends. Bellatrix was over the moon.

"Get Draco, he can tell us!" she nearly screamed with delight, anxious to call Voldemort. I looked over at Hermione and we locked eyes. Hers widened and I tried to telepathically communicate with her. Alas, it was not working. But I knew that she was frantically thinking of a way out of this hell hole. And I knew I could help supply it.

Draco walked in the room and Bellatrix said, "Draco, Katherine, come! Tell us: is this Potter?"

She herded the both of us and took us to stand in front of Harry. My heart was racing, going a million miles an hour. I wondered what the three of them had done to get caught. I peered at Harry's face and looked over at Draco who was staring at Harry intently. He looked over at me and I focused on his gray eyes. Suddenly I could feel my mind going slack and an intruding presence.

_Tell them it's not him._

The intruding presence left and I could barely breathe. I couldn't believe that Draco had suggested it. Not that I would have told them that it was Harry and given him over to Voldemort, but I couldn't believe that Draco was siding with me.

"Draco, Katherine," Father said, sidling up to us. "It we were the ones to help bring in Potter; all would be forgiven."

I knew what my father was asking for. And I knew that it was probably the safest bet for my family. But I couldn't do it. I kept looking at Draco and said, "It's not him Bellatrix."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking crestfallen.

"Yes Aunt Bellatrix," Draco affirmed, glancing over at her before looking at Harry. I have never felt closer to my brother than I did in that moment.

"But this is the Granger girl, isn't it?" Father inquired excitedly, strolling around the prisoners to face Hermione. "The Mudblood?"

"Yes it is!" Mother exclaimed. "I remember her from Madame Malkin's a couple years ago! She is definitely the Mudblood Granger!"

"Don't you dare call her a Mudblood!" I said hotly, me face beginning to flush in anger. "And no, it's not her!"

"Are you sure? Draco?"

Draco seemed to be losing steam with the lying thing, so he said, "I don't know. Maybe."

"But this is the Weasley boy!" Father roared, apparently desperate to prove they really had brought in Potter. He strode around to face Ron and pulled at his hair, sending his frightened face in my direction. I shook my head resolutely.

"But this is Arthur Weasley, the blood traitor's, son!" my father practically howled, so intent he was on being able to bring in Potter.

"You are deliberately being no help!" Bellatrix screamed.

"On the contrary," I said coldly, imitating my mother's voice when she believed she was speaking to her inferiors. "I believe I am being a great help. Granger, Weasley and Potter were all my friends in school; I would know their faces better than anyone in this household. I spent every minute of every day with them. If you called the Dark Lord and this is not him, we will all be punished."

I pointed to Harry's swollen face and said, "This is not them. Call the Dark Lord and perish."

"Maybe she's right," Mother said slowly. "Remember what they did to Rowle and Dolohov?"

I couldn't believe it. My heart was racing. _We might actually be able to get away with this._

I glanced at Hermione, who looked close to tears for whoever knew why. Ron was tense and Harry looked rather laidback for the situation at hand. I wished I was as calm as he looked. I was positively terrified, shaking in my boots so to speak.

"But she's latched on to the reason why she would tell us it's not them; she was friends with them in school, she might lie to us to save them," Bellatrix said in a slight hysterical state.

"Katherine," Mother said softly. She glided over to me, cupping my face in her hand. I looked up at her and saw fear in her eyes. "Are you lying to us?"

At this point, my heart was going so fast, I thought it was a miracle I hadn't had a heart attack yet. I thought over all my options, but it all came down to one thing. Betray my family, or betray my friends? If I betrayed my family, there was a chance only I would be punished. If I betrayed my friends, they would all be killed and we would surely lose the war. Could I risk losing the war by sacrificing these three for my family? I was so torn.

_But doing what is right, may not always be the easiest choice._

Slowly, I shook my head in my mother's hand. Apparently satisfied by my sincerity, she turned to Bellatrix and said, "These are not Potter's friends, and this is not Potter."

"Liar!" she shouted, and ripped up the sleeve of her robes, intent on calling her master. I panicked, trying to find a way to stall her. But Father did that for me.

"Hold on a minute Bellatrix!" he barked. "I believe that if the Dark Lord is to be called, I will be the one to call him since it is my house!"

"Doesn't anyone believe me?" I yelled, actually stamping my foot in frustration. "It's not Harry!"

"No, I don't believe you, you traitor," Bellatrix spat. "I-"

She paused and Father took this opportunity to shove the sleeve up his robes to call him, his finger so close to the Mark…

"NO!" Bellatrix bellowed. She looked frantic, and truly frightened. "Do not call him! If you do, we all shall die!"

Father paused as Bellatrix tore across the room to a Snatcher. "What is that?" she snarled, indicating a glinting object by his side.

"Sword," he grunted. "Give it to me," she said in a menacing voice.

"It's mine I reckon," he said, offended. With a scream, she grabbed the sword from him and Stunned him, along with the other Snatchers. Greyback gave a roar of offense and Bellatrix turned on him, forcing him to the ground with her wand.

Angry at such treatment, Greyback shouted, "The hell! Release me, woman!"

"Where did you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!" she said, brandishing the sword in his face.

"In their tent," Greyback said, inclining his head towards the trio.

I looked closer at the sword and saw that it was truly the Sword of Gryffindor. And it was true; the sword was supposed to be in the vault. I couldn't fathom why it would be with those three. I feared that any second their identities would be revealed from this sword.

"Draco!" Bellatrix suddenly snapped, releasing Greyback who went to lurk cautiously behind a chair. "Move this scum to the cellar so I can think of what to do!"

Mother was displease by this treatment of Draco and told her so. "This situation is graver than you can even understand Cissy! Draco- just do it! Greyback- go with him!"

Reluctantly, Draco moved over to the prisoners. Greyback did so as well, but halted in mid-step when Bellatrix spoke again.

"Everyone but- the Mudblood."

Greyback's face twisted in expectation and he grunted in pleasure.

"NO!" Ron bellowed, "Have me, take me!"

Bellatrix slapped him and said, "If she dies during interrogation, I'll take you next. Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book."

She glanced over to me when she was finished saying that and I realized that she considered me a blood-traitor. And would probably love nothing more than some excuse to kill me on the spot.

I trembled as all the prisoners were taken down to the dusty cellar, the cellar that I knew held Luna and Ollivander. Desperate to do something, I discreetly pointed my wand at the ropes binding the boys and whispered "diffindo", creating a couple of small cuts in the rope so they might be able to wriggle free.

I moved forward, hoping to do something for Hermione. Mother and Father caught both of my shoulders though, and reeled me back. I looked up at my mother who was looking resolutely ahead.

"This may not be Hermione, but I can't watch someone be tortured!" I whispered fervently to my mother.

"This is our life. We chose this," she said quietly.

"Yes, well, I did not!" I said hotly. I looked on, ready to spring forward at any moment.

"Where did you get this sword?" Bellatrix said, circling the still Hermione like a vulture.

"We found it!" she whispered, her face like chalk. I could tell she was extremely scared, but was doing admirably well under the circumstances. Her bushy hair was even more frazzled than usual and she looked somewhat dirty. Knowing that she would never let the search for Horcruxes get in the way of being clean, I figured she must have tripped and fell while being chased by the Snatchers.

"Liar!" Bellatrix screeched, and she took out a knife. She pinned Hermione to the ground and carved a word in her arm, something I couldn't see. Hermione screamed bloody murder and a sob caught in my throat. I couldn't watch her being treated this way.

Draco entered the drawing room again and stood petrified in the doorway. He looked on, his complexion rather green. His eyes met mine and at that exact moment, I heard a faint "HERMIONE!" resounding from the cellar, something no one else but me and Draco seemed to hear. I knew it was Ron's voice and had a sudden rush of triumph to know that he had finally acknowledged his love for Hermione. Too bad it was when they were all on the brink of death.

"You took it out of my vault at Gringotts, didn't you?" Bellatrix whispered dangerously.

"No, we found it- PLEASE!" Hermione screamed as Bellatrix hit her with the Cruciatus Curse. The scream was long and drawn out, and I flinched, unable to stand it. Mother's nails dug into my shoulder and the pain brought me clarity. They needed a way out. If I could get down to the cellar…

But then Hermione uttered these words:

"Please, it's a fake! We've never been in your vault!"

"A likely story," Bellatrix sneered as she geared up for another curse. I interceded before she could cast it though.

"Stop!" I thundered. Bellatrix stared at me in amazement, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Then she grinned at me, a grin that reminded me viciously of the one Yaxley had given me when he proclaimed I couldn't kill him.

"Is this how we treat our prisoners?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. Bellatrix's angry face turned an ugly shade of red and she shouted, "Lucius! Take the brat from the room!"

She threw the curse at Hermione again and slashed the word, Mudblood, as I could see now, deeper into her arm. Father took me by the arm and hauled me toward the door. I desperately tried to pull my arm from his grip, but it was firm. Desperate, I took my wand and stung him. He yelped and pulled his hand back. I ran over to Hermione and threw myself on the floor next to her, my chest heaving from terror and excitement.

"Get out of the way you twit!" Bellatrix screeched. "Or I'll kill you!"

"Go ahead, do it!" I yelled back in her face, trying my best to shield Hermione who looked ready to pass out. "But there's something you should hear."

"I don't want to hear anything from your whiny mouth," Bellatrix said venomously and drew back her wand. I flinched, folding in on myself, bracing myself for the blow…

"Hear her out!" Mother said suddenly. I looked up and my mother looked white as a sheet. Her fingers were trembling by her side and she pushed her bangs back from her face in an attempt to steady them and calm herself. You could have sliced through the tension in the room with a knife.

Bellatrix slowly lowered her wand and said, "Tell us then. What is it we should hear?"

I said as loudly as I could, in the hopes Harry and Ron could hear it, "She said it's a fake. We can easily check that since it is goblin made. The goblin in the cellar should know if the sword is a copy or not."

She seemed to consider this for a moment and then turned to Draco. "Draco- get the goblin!" He scurried from the room as fast as he could, going to retrieve the sword.

Bellatrix looked at Hermione and kicked her in the gut. Hermione grunted in pain and pain shot through my heart.

"Thank your lucky stars that the blood traitor took pity on you, Mudblood," she said savagely.

"Don't use that word again Bellatrix!" I said impetuously as my mother yelled, "She is not a blood traitor!"

As if she didn't hear me, Bellatrix laughed heartily and said, "Open your eyes Narcissa! She is not like us! She embraces the Mudblood, even as we stand here. Look at her! You have raised a soft child, a blood traitor! And we should do away with blood traitors."

She turned to me and spat on the floor in front of me. "That's what I think of you and your Mudblood friend."

I stared back defiantly at her, knowing if I uttered one more unnecessary thing, she would surely torture or kill me. Hermione stirred beside me, and I could feel the fear radiating from her.

The goblin entered the room, held by the collar by Draco. Draco deposited him quickly and moved away to the wall. Bellatrix advanced on him and asked, "Is this the sword?"

She handed it to him and he took it, weighing it and examining it from tip to hilt. After a couple minutes, Bellatrix became impatient and said, "Well?"

"No. It is a copy," he said in a final voice. Bellatrix looked relieved and she gave a scream of triumph. She gave the goblin a slash to his face and grabbed the fallen sword when he clapped a hand to the wound where blood was already welling up. I let out a sigh of relief I hadn't known I was holding.

"And now, we call him!" she said in a loving voice. She pushed a finger to her Mark and I felt mine burn intensely. Giving a little moan of pain, I stood up, ready to do battle if necessary when Voldemort got there.

But I didn't have to wait for Voldemort.

"I think we can dispose of the Mudblood," Bellatrix said. "Greyback, you can have her." Greyback gave a lecherous smile and move closer to take Hermione.

"NO!" I bellowed, throwing myself on top of her, but my scream was coupled with another's. Ron and Harry came bursting through the drawing room door. Bellatrix was disarmed by Ron and Harry caught her wand. Enraged by this turn of events, Bellatrix shoved me off Hermione and pulled her away from the jets of light that were flying around the room. I ran over to Harry and Ron, who were crouching behind a sofa, making sure they were alright when Bellatrix screamed.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Ron, Harry and I took a peek around the sofa to see Bellatrix supporting the unconscious Hermione and pressing the silver dagger to her throat.

"Stand up and drop your wands, or we'll see how filthy her blood is!" Harry, Ron and I looked at each other and stood up stiffly, me pointing my wand at Bellatrix.

"Don't you dare curse your Auntie. Drop it!"

She pressed the blade into Hermione's neck, making blood appear there.

"Alright!" Harry shouted. He dropped his wand and Ron did the same with whomever's he was carrying. I looked warily at Bellatrix and then dropped mine, raising my hands to shoulder height to mirror the boys.

"Pick them up Draco!" Bellatrix sneered triumphantly. Draco hurried forward collecting all the wands but one. Mine. I started breathing heavy, hoping for a distraction so I could just reach my wand…

"Let's tie the little heroes up Cissy. Even that brat you call your daughter. And Greyback can have the girl. I'm sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge the girl to you, after all the work you've done."

Greyback rubbed his hands together in anticipation and the moment a smile broke out across his face, the chandelier fell. Bellatrix ran away from it, dropping Hermione in the process. The chandelier toppled onto her and the goblin. Ron, mad with fury, ran over to the wreckage with a roar to pull Hermione out. Crystal had appeared to fly in all directions; Draco was bloodied, his hands and face torn by shards of it.

I stooped to collect my wand and Harry leapt over the sofa to wrest all three wands from Draco. He pointed all three of them at Greyback and yelled, "STUPEFY!"

The werewolf flew into the air from the triple spell and crashed into a wall, sliding down it into a heap on the ground.

Mother dragged Draco out of further harm and Bellatrix pulled her knife again, ready to do battle. But Mother's scream made us all freeze.

"You!" she said, pointing her wand towards an invisible character just outside the door. "You dropped the chandelier?"

To my surprise, Dobby, my beloved house elf since I was a child, ambled into the room, pointing his tiny finger at my mother.

"You must not harm Harry Potter or Mistress Katherine," he squeaked.

"Kill him Cissy!" Bellatrix bawled, but Dobby disarmed her with the snap of his fingers. Bellatrix was appalled.

"How dare you take a witch's wand! How dare you defy your masters!"

"Dobby has no master!" Dobby said proudly and indignantly. "Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and Mistress Katherine's friends!"

I felt the hugest surge of affection for Dobby I had felt, or ever will have felt at that moment. I was so proud of him, standing up to my family who terrorized him and treated him so horribly. This was what happened when you treated your house elves in such a way.

Dimly, I felt Harry grab my hand and pull me towards Dobby. He let go for a millisecond to hoist the goblin over his shoulder and sprinted the rest of the way toward him. I followed quickly, not really understanding what I was doing, but rather feeling and letting my legs take me where I needed to go. I grabbed Dobby's hand and he disapparated. The last thing I remembered seeing was my mother and father's horrified faces at what I had done. They were disgusted I was running away with Harry Potter.

I felt solid ground and took in deep breaths of air. I looked around and saw that we were someplace by the sea. There was a cottage in the distance, and I watched as Harry gently placed the goblin down on the ground, asking if he was ok. The goblin wheezed in pain and stirred feebly. I glanced over at Dobby and back to Harry. Then I realized what I had seen and whipped my head around.

Dobby was holding a knife that was lodged in his chest. I couldn't breathe for fear. I tried to find my voice but no words would come. When Dobby started swaying on the spot, I croaked, "Harry!"

He turned quickly and, upon seeing the little elf gave an inhuman wail.

"DOBBY!"

Dobby pitched forward and Harry caught him, laying him on the cool grass. I knew in that instant that nothing could be done, but distantly I could hear Harry yell towards the cottage for help. I put a cool hand on Dobby's forehead and stroked his ears, trying to comfort him, silently crying for my childhood friend. His breath was rattling now, shallower and more hurried.

"Don't die Dobby, don't die," Harry was mumbling to him, over and over. Tears were dripping down his nose and splashing onto the tiny body, but the elf didn't seem to notice as he formed only two words:

"Harry… Potter…"

And then, he died. There was no other way to put it. Dobby was gone. I bit down hard on my lower lip and thanked Dobby for saving our lives, just then realizing that if it hadn't been for him we all would have been dead.

What a beautiful, kind, free elf.

_Author's Note: I almost cried, writing about Dobby's death. It makes me so sad! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the especially long chapter today. Don't forget to comment about what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	119. Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen

"_She what_?" I bellowed, trying to make sense of what Narcissa was telling me. Narcissa had dark circles under her eyes, and her body bore the marks of Voldemort's wrath. I tried to control my anger at what had happened, but it was hard. Narcissa seemed to cower from me and I tried even harder to temper my rage.

Apparently, the Potter boy and his friends had been brought to the manor, and, wanting to protect them, Katherine had told them it wasn't him and then ran off with the lot when they disapparated. I couldn't believe it. And even though I wasn't happy with her about it, I had to commend her bravery and outright defiance of the Dark Lord. Not many people would have the guts to do so.

"Severus!" I heard. The snappish voice came from behind me and I turned around and faced the Dark Lord. I swallowed a lump in my throat and moved toward him cautiously, hoping he wouldn't take his fury out on me. He motioned that I follow and I did so obediently, making sure I kept my distance from him. After a few seconds he stopped and looked back at me, clearly communicating that he wanted me to walk alongside him. I sped up my pace and joined him, and we walked together.

We exited the house and strolled along the grounds, saying nothing until we got to the garden. At this point, the Dark Lord spoke.

"What should I do Severus?" he asked with a sigh. He looked truly troubled and I was perplexed. Did he actually have father-like feelings for Katherine?

"I only want what is best for her, because she is my kin. The only blood I have left. And while I have Alexander, he is nothing as of yet since he is only an infant," he continued.

I held my breath, hoping that I could get through this talk completely and totally unscathed. "Where did Lucius and Narcissa go wrong? They were my most fervent followers, and Draco turned out to be loyal. It would be foolish to presume that they did not try and instruct Katherine in the same ways they did Draco. Why did she turn out differently?"

I wondered the same thing. How could the child of a loveless union, seeing as the Dark Lord was unable to love, be able to feel in such a capacity, to be able to turn away from such evil? I assumed it must be like two good looking people having a child. There was always a chance for a child that did not inherit either parent's good looks.

And Belinda didn't seem so evil. I assumed she was just power hungry, as much as Bellatrix was. She probably didn't care for the politics and the Muggle-borns, but merely saw a powerful man and a chance to be at his right hand.

"They have failed me greatly Severus," the Dark Lord said abruptly, ripping me off my train of thought and onto the platform of reality. "And, since you live with her and should know each and every one of her idiosyncrasies, I want to know what makes her so… so damned determined to undermine me at every turn."

I paused, and almost stopped breathing. I didn't know how to answer such a question. If I told the truth, that she hated him, he would be furious. If I said I didn't know, it wouldn't be a satisfactory enough answer and he would be furious. I tread carefully, making sure to tell the truth but not step on any toes.

"I think a careful and smart individual would not presume to try and overthrow your new regime My Lord. But I think a person with a passionate heart would fight valiantly, to the death, for their cause, no matter how idiotic it may be to die on the battlefield for a lost cause," I said, choosing my words carefully as I did.

He considered this for a moment and then said, "But there is no doubting she is intelligent. And powerful. It only comes from good parents, even if that whore was a liar. If she is so clever, why does she cross me?"

This time the answer came readily and easily off my tongue. "My Lord, surely you of all people should remember that book smart and common sense smart are two very different things. She may have outstanding marks, but when it comes down to it, the girl does not understand that it is not the best choice to disobey."

"But she's not a girl. She's a woman."

"The difference between girl and woman is the level of maturity, not the age."

He sighed again, a noise that was rather unsettling. I was doing well, if I did say so myself.

"I have tried My Lord. She shows no sign of budging from her position."

He stood there for a moment and mulled over what I said. "I should have killed the child when I had the chance. I should have known that, as a woman, she would grow up soft and too tender-hearted," he stated.

"Better not let Bellatrix hear you say that," I said facetiously before I understood what I was saying. I froze and turned towards the Dark Lord who was looking at me curiously. And then, all of a sudden, a predatory grin flashed across his face and he said, "Yes, Bella would be angry to hear me say such things. But she is the exception."

We walked on through the garden, passing by hydrangeas and rose bushes. He was silent for a while, and I didn't dare address him without having been addressed first.

"This bothers me. Kin should stick together and have the same ideals. It baffles me. Oh well. She is with Potter now. She has chosen her fate. If we meet with Potter again, I have given notice to my Death Eaters to not spare her. She has declared herself the enemy, and the enemy must be struck down."

My heart froze and my breath hitched. Who knew how long this war would go on, and how long would Katherine be able to stay away from Death Eaters? And how would I be able to tell her to not come back?

"Of course," I said mechanically, agreeing to what he said without really being there. The Dark Lord left me standing there, and I stayed for a long time, my brain frozen in fear. My mind was like sludge and I tried trekking through it, to get to the obvious solution. I needed to warn her.

I murmured a spell and something silvery shot out of my wand, cantering towards wherever Katherine was.

_Author's Note: Sorry this took a while getting up! Anyways, comment what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	120. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty

I was sitting by Dobby's grave, mulling over the events of the past few hours. Fleur had kindly lent me a nightgown and I had gone over to Dobby's grave to be by myself. It had been cold when I went outside, but the sooner it got to daylight, the warmer I felt. I read the inscription on the headstone for what felt like the hundredth time now:

HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF

I wiped away a tear and brushed my hand over the smooth stone that Harry had used to mark Dobby's grave. I missed Dobby terribly. There hadn't been much of my life that I hadn't been with Dobby, save for the two years in between him being "let go" by my family and beginning to help me take care of my children.

I thought back to my childhood, one that had really been nothing but me and Dobby. I hadn't thought it was strange until I met people like Ron and Hermione. I found out it wasn't the norm for your servant elf to clothe you every day as a child when your mother couldn't, or wouldn't. It wasn't the norm for you to not have childhood friends and have only your house elf to laugh at your jokes. It wasn't normal for you to teach your servant how to play gobstones because your brother refused to play with you and most of Daddy's associates had sons who despised you for being a girl. That was just how children worked. Be a girl, and you stuck with girls, be a boy, and you stuck with the boys. There were just never any girls.

Actually, thinking back on my childhood made me wonder how I had ever procured friends in the first place. I had to have been extremely socially awkward my first couple years as a Hogwarts student coming off a childhood with only Dobby as my friend.

I thought about Severus. Oh, how furious he would be when he heard! He would be hopping mad, boiling almost as much as the potions he revered. I wondered if he would think I had run off with Harry, that I had left him for someone younger, the Chosen One. I made a face at that thought. Harry and I might have been many things at that point in time, but we were definitely not romantically involved.

I wondered how I would be able to get back. It would have to be under the cover of night, since they might have guards around Hogwarts at this point. I bit my lip and thought how hard it would be to get under the wards, to slip past any possible guards; to make it to the Headmaster's study when there would surely be teachers prowling around at night.

I buried my face in my hands and worried, despaired at the fact that while this war went on, I may not be able to make it back to the castle, to my husband and children. I thought about Posy and Melanie, about my separation anxiety I had felt a mere 24 hours before. And that was knowing I would definitely be back to them in a matter of days. This time there was no telling.

I saw light making itself through the cracks between my fingers, a sort of ethereal light that had nothing to do with the dawn that had just recently shown itself. I looked up and saw a magnificent doe, brilliantly white and probably one of the purest things I had ever seen. It looked at me, and in that moment, I knew that it was Severus's patronus. No one else's patronus could have made me feel so… safe? Loved? It was almost as if it gazed into my soul, the way I had felt about Dumbledore's eyes.

When it spoke, I had my confirmation of it being Severus's:

"The Dark Lord has ordered you dead if a Death Eater happens upon you. Do not go back to the castle. Stay with Potter. I will find you when the war is over."

The doe paused for a moment and then it said, "Be safe. I love you."

And then the doe vanished. Into thin air. I stared at the spot where it had been moments ago and felt wretchedly empty. So, I had a death threat upon my head. Severus would find me when the war was over. And I had no doubt he would. But who knew how much longer this war would go on?

And then the ending of the message. "I love you." I was shocked to hear it. Not in living memory could I remember him saying it to me. Not once before we got married or during our marriage. Severus was a man of action, not of words. But still… Him saying "I love you" at this point, when he wasn't used to saying it at all… It made it seem like he didn't expect the either of us to survive. I shuddered when I thought that, thinking that during this war death would rip us from each other, that our children would be left orphaned, or without one crucial half to a parental set.

I stood up. I needed to tell Hermione, Ron and Harry that I was staying with them, since I had told them I would be going back to Hogwarts a few hours ago. I trudged back to the cottage and entered.

The cottage was small but clean. It was light and cheery, and I could see the appeal it had had for Bill and Fleur; it was like being at a couple's retreat year round. I chuckled when I thought that illusion would be ruined when they had children and they left their toys everywhere and filled the house with either screams or laughter. They would accidentally step on toys and mutter curses and then dissolve into smiles when they saw their children looking up at them with the innocence every child carried.

Fleur came into the living room and spotted me. "Ah! Will you 'elp me? I am trying to make breakfast."

On the whole, I thought that Fleur's English had gotten much better. "As much as I would love to help you Fleur, I have to talk to Harry, Ron and Hermione right now."

Her face fell, but then she perked right up. "Eet eez no problem. You can 'elp me ze next time. Zey are in ze goblin's room."

Maybe the English wasn't doing as well as I had thought. I shrugged and promised to help with the next meal and then ambled up the stairs. I knocked on the door to the goblin's room and opened it. _Griphook_, I thought, correcting myself. _His name is Griphook._

The room was rather cramped, and it was a wonder that any of the Trio or Griphook could fit in the room. When I opened the door, they all looked like they were having a rather intense discussion. They whipped their heads around to look at the intruder and looked slightly relieved at my presence.

"You can come in Katy, but you have to close the door," Hermione said invitingly. I tiptoed in and shut the door as Hermione instructed.

"I saw you out there; with the elf," Griphook said suddenly. I nodded slowly, a lump forming in my throat, threatening to make me cry again.

"You seem to have truly mourned his loss," Griphook observed. I swallowed the lump and said, "He was a dear friend."

He nodded and then turned back to the trio. They started discussing the sword of Gryffindor, and finished their conversation before I could jump in and ask any questions. Ron, Hermione and Harry excused themselves from the room and I did so as well, exiting behind them. I shut the door behind me and looked at the three of them.

"What were you asking Griphook about? With the sword?" I asked curiously.

They looked at each other uneasily and said, "We wondered how we got the real sword when the fake is in the Lestrange's vault."

I considered this and said, "Perhaps someone on our side switched them before Severus could put it in the vault and Severus was stuck with the copy. How did you even get the real one anyways?"

They all looked around us uneasily and then suggested that we all go outside for more privacy. We walked out the front door and I took in deep breaths of the salty sea air. It was invigorating. When we were settled, Harry and Ron then launched into a long explanation of how they had seen a doe and then Harry had to dive for the sword, forcing Ron to save him.

"Hold on, go back to the doe," I instructed. "You said that it was a patronus?"

They all nodded vigorously. Was it by chance that Severus's patronus took the same form? But they probably wouldn't take kindly to thinking that Severus might have helped them, even if we didn't have conclusive proof. I decided not to tell them.

"We're all trying to figure it out, completely dumbfounded as to who would know our location and then help us," Harry said. That definitely sealed the deal; I wasn't going to tell them.

"Go back to you saving Harry," I said, gesturing to Ron. He continued, explaining how infuriated Hermione had been when he got back to them. I watched Hermione closely while he was telling the story. She seemed miffed on the surface, something I knew only time had helped; if she was really as mad with rage as Ron was describing her, it had taken her a while to get to merely miffed. But deeper than the surface? Relief? Love? I decided on a mixture of both and then settled my eyes on Ron. He was rather sheepish talking about his transgressions, but beneath that was relief as well. And love. And, most importantly, gratefulness. He was glad that Harry and Hermione had taken him back in, fearing they wouldn't, even if he knew they would. It was that internal doubt, the subconscious fear… There was a lot of that going on these days.

I decided not to press why Ron had left. That would have been digging up feelings that were best left alone.

They told of Xenophilius Lovegood, and I sympathized with him, whereas Ron had some trouble understanding how he could betray the three of them.

"Ron, if something like that had happened to one of my daughters, I would have done the same. When you don't know what's happened to your little girl, or what they might be doing to her at present… It's pain beyond imagining."

Then they told me what happened right before they had been captured and taken to the Manor. I commended the Order of the Phoenix for keeping the resistance alive through Potterwatch. I thought it was brilliant! I gasped in horror at Harry accidentally uttering "Voldemort", sparking the Taboo. My eyes grew wide in fear when they told me about Greyback and Scabior, the things they had said. A chill ran down my spine and Hermione's encounter with Greyback made me think of Yaxley and his predatory gaze. My blood froze in my veins, but I forced myself to take a shuddering breath and tell them my story when they asked.

I started with Yaxley finding me in Grimmauld Place and taking me back to the castle, to Severus. Hermione interrupted my story, and tearfully told me it was all her fault, that it was an accident and she hadn't meant it to happen. I said she was not to blame and that it all turned out for the best. I told them of my imprisonment and reminded them of the complicated series of events that led up to it. They were all in outrage when I told them about it, and Harry looked on the verge of telling me that this was exactly why I couldn't trust my husband. But with a look, Hermione shushed him.

"I don't blame him, not all that much," I said softly. "He had his reasons. He was scared. Confused. And I know that doesn't excuse everything, but when you love someone…"

I trailed off and shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to get to everything else before lunch time. What I didn't notice was Hermione glancing at Ron in a way that seemed to melt away all of her anger and replace tenderness. It wasn't until after the war that Hermione thanked me for saying what I did, telling me that it helped her get over the final vestiges of anger she had harbored with Ron's absence all that time.

I plowed on, telling them about Ginny, Neville and Luna trying to steal the sword and Harry almost chuckled at how brave they had been to try and steal the sword from right under the nasty, mean Headmaster's nose. And all of them looked rather relieved when I told them their punishment was merely the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. I told them about my mother's Christmas Party and lightly skated over how serious the situation with Yaxley had been. Hermione must have sensed there was more though, and coaxed the whole story out of me. They all sat there in shock and Ron said, "Dear Merlin, if he doesn't go to jail after all this is over… For being a Death Eater of course."

He added the last part rather quickly, and I nodded my head in agreement. We were all silently agreeing the story would never reach anyone else's ears, but Ron still sincerely hoped that Yaxley would go to Azkaban and stay there, even if it was just for being a Death Eater. Besides, I didn't think an attempt at it would be an offense worth of imprisonment. Was it?

I brushed thoughts of a convicted Yaxley out of my mind and fast forwarded to finding Luna and Ollivander in the cellar. I didn't tell them what Ollivander had said about the family wands; I kept that for myself.

"And now I've come to the part where I barge into Griphook's room," I said, taking a deep breath.

"Hold on, you skipped what just happened at Malfoy Manor," Harry interrupted, supremely confused.

"I don't have to tell you, you lived through that, you know what happened," I said impatiently.

"But we lived through Griphook's room too," he argued.

"But you haven't heard why I went in there, so shut up," I admonished, itching to tell them what had happened to me next to Dobby's grave.

He fell silent and I plowed on. "Don't tell me I can't because I will but- I'm going wherever you are now."

The reaction I thought they would give did not come to fruition. They all sat there rather silently when I thought they would jump up and start shouting in protest. I thought I would have to have a shouting match with them to convince them that they needed me. Well, the truth would be that I needed them.

They seemed to consider this and Harry said slowly, "Katherine, we… You can't come along with us. We can't tell you what's happening."

At this I was angry. My face contorted into something I knew must not be pleasant and I snarled, "Aren't you trying to get rid of Vol- the Dark Lord? That's what I want. I want him defeated. I'm not saying that what he did to me didn't turn out for the better. Posy, Melanie and Severus are the best things that have ever happened to me. But having to constantly hide the fact that I'm in love with my husband, something that should be perfectly normal, has put an almost undetectable strain on my marriage."

Saying that last sentence was one of those times where I had never thought it before and said it not thinking it was true, but only wanted to make a point. But then when you uttered the words, you found it was as factual as the sky being blue.

"I have to fear constantly for my daughters' lives. I hate the fear he's struck in my heart, and I hate that he did it so easily. I want him gone so I don't have to play this game anymore. I want him gone so I don't have to wonder whether any of my friends are going to make it home safe at the end of the day."

I glanced over at Hermione and found that her eyes were glistening slightly with tears.

I turned back to Harry and said, "After all this time, don't you trust me Harry?"

He seemed to be struggling with his choice. I could sense Ron and Hermione on my side, silently rooting me on.

"Look, I do trust you. I saw how you were willing to lay down your life for us and defy your family back at Malfoy Manor. But- Dumbledore gave us this mission. And we've got to stick to it. Just the three of us," he said in a final voice. He studied me, in what seemed an almost sympathetic stare. I shook my head, unable to accept this. I had one more weapon in my arsenal.

"I'm not safe anymore," I said bluntly. "Severus sent me a patronus; the Dark Lord has ordered me dead if I should cross paths with any Death Eater. I can't go back to the castle. I can't- I can't see my daughters."

Tears formed in my eyes, pricking them and forcing my vision to go blurry. I shoved a hand across my eyes to rid myself of them and Hermione patted my knee. I took a gulp of air and looked Harry dead in the eye.

"If I can't see my family until the war is over, I want to do something productive. Especially if there's a good chance I won't survive to see them again. If Severus doesn't live through this war. If neither of us do, if I lose my whole family; the possibilities are endless. If I have to die, I want to die trying to take him down. And if my family has to die- I would want to avenge them."

At the end of my impassioned speech, Harry leaned back and regarded me thoughtfully. He sat like that for a while, and it was killing me, not knowing what conclusion he was coming to. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine. You can come with us."

Hermione practically squealed with excitement as she tackled me, hugging me and thanking Harry for letting me come along. Ron clapped Harry on the back and told him he had made the right decision. Harry still looked rather torn though, and I decided to address that later.

"We're breaking into Gringotts," Harry said suddenly. He looked me directly in the eye. "Into the Lestrange's vault. Can you help us with that? Do you know anything about it?"

I sat back, Indian style, and thought hard about anything I might have heard about the vault. After a minute, I shook my head no.

"I never knew my aunt Bellatrix growing up. And in my household, finances are never really discussed with the children. Or between different clans."

"What do you mean by different clans?" Ron asked confusedly.

"While Bellatrix and my mother grew up together as sisters, they married into different families. And while most Pureblooded families are related…"

I shrugged. "A lot of the haughty, upperclass families, like the Malfoys and Lestranges, never want anyone to know of their financial woes, even if you have an especially strong bond from one family to the next. And outright boasting of your wealth and financial success is tacky and rude. So they do it in the most conspicuous way possible without actually saying something to the extent of 'my family is vastly more wealthy than yours is'. The women go on shopping sprees where they buy almost illegal amounts of clothes and shoes, some of which they won't even wear. They give sumptuous feasts that go on for hours. Things like that."

Harry gave a low whistle and said, "Sounds like court in Elizabethan England."

I gave a wry smile and said, "Of course it is. There are too many similarities between Elizabethan Court and Pureblooded families of today. There's no humility, hardly any shame. Secrets and intrigue, gossip. Scandals. All have to feign a happy face around the monarch; the monarch in this metaphor being the Dark Lord. They treat their servants like vermin- no, I take that back. Elizabethan people treated their servants better than we did. But they still didn't regard them as their equals as humans."

"So is Bellatrix one to go around and shop like there's no tomorrow?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

I shook my head. "You're forgetting. I didn't know Bellatrix most of my life. And when I finally met her, what robemaker would take her? She was a fugitive. But if I had known her before she was a fugitive and the war broke out, my guess would be that she wouldn't be one to give in to pomp and circumstance. She just doesn't seem like the one to, ah, what's the phrase? 'Shop till you drop'?"

I added on thoughtfully, "But if she had been one to go on such a shopping binge, then we would have known that she had plenty of gold in her vault. Plenty of valuable things. And since there isn't anyone left in the Lestrange line but her and Alexander, I can't imagine it would all be used up at once."

"Hold on," Harry interrupted. "I thought she had a husband?"

I pursed my lips and said, "Not anymore. He left Bellatrix when he found she was pregnant with the Dark Lord's child. But, Bellatrix does not know this, the Dark Lord had him hunted down and killed."

"Dear Merlin, what goes on inside of You-Know-Who's circle?" Hermione said in aghast tones.

I frowned and said, "Much more than you would want to know."

"Anyways, back to the vault," Harry urged.

"Right!" I said, jolting back to talking about fortunes and not Voldemort's gossip. "Anyways, my guess would be that Bellatrix has plenty of money. And essentially, a great place to hide valuables."

Harry and Ron pumped fists in the air and then high-fived. I looked over at Hermione who seemed to be celebrating herself. What I said must have been what they wanted to hear and Harry said eagerly, "Do you know if she hid anything of You-Know-Who's in there?"

I shook my head no. This seemed to disappoint him slightly, but didn't look to deter him.

"We still have a lead!" he said exuberantly.

"What do you think the Dark Lord is hiding in Bellatrix's vault?" I asked, curious.

Too quickly, they all got rather quiet and looked at each other. They seemed to be silently communicating and it clicked in my mind.

"Horcruxes!" I whispered wondrously. Harry looked shocked that I knew such a thing and Ron and Hermione averted their gazes, appearing to look somewhere else. They were scared that I would tell Harry that they had told me about them and he would be angry with them.

"How do you know about them?" Harry asked in hushed tones.

"I-uh," I stammered, not able to come up with a proper excuse. I looked over to Hermione for help and Harry followed my gaze, guessing correctly what had happened. But he didn't seem so angry. He sighed and said, "Well, what's done is done. There's no changing it. But yes, we're looking for Horcruxes."

"Which ones do you have left?" I asked curiously.

"We have the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, something of Rowena Ravenclaw's, and Nagini," Ron supplied. I groaned inwardly. If I had known about the snake! I would have killed her at some point.

I put my face in my hands and cursed myself inwardly for not asking for more information earlier. I could have finished her off so quickly…

"Oh well," I muttered to myself. I took my head out of my hands and looked at the three of them.

"So… Gringotts?"

_Author's Note: Do you guys think she should make it back to Severus before the Battle of Hogwarts? Tell me! I'm torn! :) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	121. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One

I stood in the Room of Requirement and watched Harry, Ron and Hermione get clapped on the back by other Hogwartians and be welcomed back like heroes. I stood in the back, hidden in shadow, not ready to show my face. Someone had already noticed me though.

Neville sidled up to me and said, "Hey." I nodded back as a response. I was bone-tired from getting the damned cup from Gringotts and flying on the dragon for hours and then nearly getting a heart attack from the damn Caterwauling charm in Hogsmeade. If you couldn't already tell from my vernacular, I wasn't in the best mood. I didn't know how the three of them were doing it; I was exhausted. Which is why my recounting of what happened before the battle isn't all that great.

"So, when did you join up with them?" Neville asked conversationally. "You left at Easter and then- poof! We didn't see you again."

I sighed and said, "They were captured and brought to Malfoy Manor. I lied to my family about it being them and then when they found out they really were Hermione, Ron and Harry, I apparated with them to save myself really. And then I found out I was being hunted by the Death Eaters, so they let me tag along. It looked like I was much more valuable than they had previously thought."

And I had been. After having watched Bellatrix strut and brag and demean all those times, I had been able to show Hermione to perfection how she should act when she was disguised as Bellatrix when we infiltrated Gringotts. I had been able to tell them that the gold probably had Flagrante and Geminio curses on them, and they had been careful to try and not touch anything. And it all went well, until Ron accidentally stubbed his toe on some damned gold.

We had barely made it out with our lives, and Griphook had made it out with the sword. Treacherous little bleeder… But, I supposed his actions were justified. We did tell him he could have the sword and he took it.

And then it dawned on me. I was in Hogwarts! The place I had so often dreamed about for weeks, the building that held the three people I had wanted to see most in my every waking and dreaming moments. I was so close… I needed to see them.

"We're going to fight Harry!" someone shouted and everyone yelled in earnest. They all agreed that there was going to be a battle.

"Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but right now, Hermione, Katherine, Ron and I just need to get in and get out, then we'll be on our way."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to him, revealing myself from the shadows. I could both hear and feel everyone gasp at my entrance and I didn't mind. What was everyone's opinion if we were on the precipice of battle?

I put a hand on Harry's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "You told me the same thing. And it all worked out, didn't it? You don't have to tell them about the Horcruxes; just let them help you. They're so eager; and you don't have to go it on your own."

He seemed to consider this for a moment and then seemed to give in. He yelled if anyone knew what the lost diadem looked like. I rolled my eyes again. If it was lost, no one would have ever seen it! Again, I wasn't in the best mood, so I was less patient than usual.

Luna volunteered to go with Harry and they were fixing to slip out the room when I ran over to him to catch his attention.

"Hey- hey!"

Harry spun around and faced me. His expression of annoyance softened and he asked, "What is it Katherine?"

"I- I'm coming with you. Part of the way at least. I have to find them. If there's going to be a war going on here- don't deny it won't! I'm sure that once he gets here and see's you're here, he's going to call on all of his forces. But anyways, if there's going to be a war I need to say… goodbye."

His eyes bored into mine in a rather uncomfortable way. He understood the need to tell someone you loved them before you parted ways, before you never saw each other again.

"Be careful going through the school," he said quietly. I nodded and we, Harry, Luna and I, walked through the passageway in silence. My heart was hammering, awaiting the chance to see my children again, to see my husband again. It had been so long since I had seen them, heard their voices. I missed feeling Posy's mop of curly hair against my cheek, seeing Melanie's beautiful violet eyes and hearing Severus's chuckle.

I couldn't believe I was going to get to say goodbye. God didn't give you chances like this every day.

I was positively sweating from the anxious anticipation of seeing them again. Not soon enough, we reached the end of the passageway and I tore out of it, disregarding Harry and Luna's shouts to be careful. I reached the staircases and ran down them until I reached the first floor. I looked around to make sure no one was following me and hurried to the Headmaster's office. I crashed through the door and saw Severus sitting at a window, drink in hand.

He turned around when he heard the door slam open and seemed shocked that I was there. My heart beat even faster, knowing he was so close. I was so in love with this man. In my absence, I had forgotten how chillingly black his eyes were, how soft his hair was, even just gazing at it from across the room. I had forgotten, in just my few weeks away, how he could make me tingle down to the tips of my toes by just looking at me. I grinned at the sight of him and, at the same time, he grimaced. My face fell and I asked, "Don't you want to see me?"

I knew I probably sounded like a petulant child, but I had wanted to see him so badly… if he didn't feel the same…

He rose and put his drink down. He started walking towards me and said, "Of course I want to see you, you daft, mutton-headed, strong-willed woman. But you shouldn't be here."

I raised my flat palms in the universal signal of "who cares?". "It doesn't matter Severus. There's going to be a war. Here at Hogwarts. He's coming, I just know it."

At this point his hands were gripping my upper arms and he froze, tightening his hold. It was slightly painful, but I didn't say anything. I was just watching him, watching him debate with himself on what to do.

"You say they're coming?" he asked. I nodded. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Then you'll have to leave with the girls. Go to Spinner's-"

"No!" I said violently, ripping my arms from his grasp. He seemed to have expected such a reaction and sighed, saying, "Katherine, it's for your own-"

"Good?" I laughed sarcastically. "It won't do me good to sit somewhere safely and wonder if you're coming back to me."

"They can't see you!" he said through clenched teeth. "If they do, you're dead!"

"I would rather die trying than run away like a coward," I said vehemently. "And I didn't come here for your permission to fight. I came here to say- goodbye."

His eyes shone with an emotion I couldn't detect. I held my breath, waiting for his decision. It didn't matter anyways; I was of age, and I wanted to fight.

"Fine. Stay out of sight though! Stick with Granger, Potter and Weasley though, they can hold their own, I-"

And then I felt it. The Mark was burning on my arm. There was a frantic pounding on the door, and I did something I had never done before. I cowered in Severus's arms. I buried my head into his chest while the furious knocking continued.

"Coming!" Severus yelled at the door. He pried me away from him and said, "Go hide in the living quarters. Call for Winky and give the girls to her. Tell her to go to Spinner's End and then meet me back out here."

I nodded soundlessly and ran to the living quarters, shutting the door behind me. I could hear faintly through the walls, "Amycus. What a surprise."

I pressed my ear against the door and listened hard. I wished I had one of Fred and George's Extendable Ears.

"It's no surprise! Potter and his friends were discovered in Hogsmeade. They're here!"

"Calm down!" Severus barked. "Call the students to the Great Hall and we will see if we can find Potter and his ring of followers."

"What about your wife, hm? Wouldn't she be with them?"

"I don't know Amycus, let's just catch Potter! I've got to do something quickly, but I'll meet you down there."

Immediately I sprung into action. I had to get my children to safety. "Winky!" I yelled. She popped into existence and her face lit up.

"Mrs. Snape! It's you!" she squeaked. She hugged me 'round the knees and I pulled her off me.

"Now's not the time Winky. I need you to help me pack some of the girls' things so you can take them somewhere safe," I said rather harshly. She quieted and then nodded solemnly. Severus came through the door and, upon seeing Winky, nodded in my direction and whisked off into our room to do something else.

I hurried into the twins' room and roused them; ever intuitive, they didn't cry in the face of adversity. They seemed to feel when it was important not to cry. I quickly dressed them and dragged a trunk out from Melanie's crib. Winky kept them entertained and quiet as I packed for them, intent on getting them out of there as soon as possible.

When all was said and done, I turned around to face my girls. They were so beautiful and calm; my heart broke at the thought I might not be able to see them again.

"Severus!" I called, hauling the suitcase into the common area. He came out of our room and raised his eyebrows when he saw the case, but said nothing. Winky brought them out of the room and I addressed her.

"Winky, take Posy and Melanie and go to Spinner's End. Stay there until we come to get the three of you. If we're not there in two days-"

I swallowed hard, not wanting to utter the words. "- then take them to Malfoy Manor."

I looked over at Severus for his approval and he nodded. I turned back to Winky and my children, who were now almost as tall as her. I crouched down next to them and spoke.

"Posy, Melanie- you need to be good girls for Winky, alright? Mummy and daddy are going to come get you soon. We'll be together again soon- I promise."

I heart and voice cracked on the last word and I hugged them fiercely. They clung to me tightly, not wanting to let go. I could have stayed like that forever. "I love you," I whispered as I kissed them on the tops of their heads.

"Love you mummy!" they chorused, huge smiles on their faces. I gave a shaky laugh and turned away so I could wipe a couple tears away. I stood up and Severus walked over. He scooped them both up in his arms and he gave them big kisses. They giggled and he said, "Be good girls."

They nodded and Severus let them down. Both girls took Winky's hands and, after waving goodbye, they apparated to Spinner's End. I stood there for a minute, looking at the spot where they had been. I think my heart, brain, and lungs stopped, making me cease to even live for that short period of time. All I could think about was whether they would be ok, whether we would survive this war, whatever might become of our children if we didn't.

Severus came up behind me and snaked his arms around me. He bent his head towards mine and I could feel him softly breathing in and out against my back. It was rather comforting, like he was telling me to stop worrying, nothing had happened yet. And then, as if he could read my mind, he said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

I nodded and turned around, facing him. "Do you have the antidote to Nagini's venom?" I asked suddenly. He looked uneasy, and then answered, "Well, it was the best batch I brewed, but I haven't tested it yet. I'm not sure if it works."

I nodded again and stood on my tiptoes to gently brush my lips across his. He responded fervently and violently, like it was the last kiss we would ever have. And it probably would be. It was passionate and desperate and it hurt, it hurt to think about all the things that could happen. Finally, he released me and, while still holding me in his arms, I said, "I love you too."

A smile played about his lips and he said, "It was about damn time I told you. You've been my wife for much too long without me saying it. And I swear, if we come out of this war alive, I'll say it every five minutes."

I grinned and said, "No need for such excessiveness."

He shrugged. "Then I'll only tell you once a year."

"Can't you find a middle ground?"

"No."

I gave a slight chuckle and pulled myself away from him. "You're so stubborn," I said fondly.

"That's the pot calling the cauldron black," he retorted. I rolled my eyes and looked at my watch.

"As much as I would hate for you to go, I think you need to head down to the Great Hall," I said nervously.

"You're coming with me," Severus said automatically, taking my arm in a tight grip, as if he was determined to force me along. I shook my head and said, "No, the Carrows will be there. They'll kill me without thinking twice about it. I'll be safe, I promise."

His onyx eyes gazed into my violet ones, as if he was assessing if I could be trusted with something so precious as my own life. Finally, he looked away and said, "Be careful."

I could have sworn I heard Severus get choked up saying those words, but chose to ignore it. If he had, he wouldn't have wanted me to bring it up.

_Author's Note: The Battle is next! I know they don't go into the Great Hall in the books, but for one, I like it better than in the books, and two, I think it just serves my purpose better. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed. As always, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_

_PS- I would have posted this last night, but I was working on a vastly interesting new idea… A sequel? :)_


	122. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two

_Author's Note: OK, another big change to the plot line. Severus and Voldemort will be in the boat house, not the Shrieking Shack. It'll make it easier once you see what happens. Alright, Battle of Hogwarts, go!_

Severus had left and I was standing there alone, mulling over what to do next. I needed to find Hermione, Ron, and Harry. The Room of Requirement. Somehow, in my haze of grief over metaphorically losing my whole family at once, I moved through the office and opened the door. On a table next to the door though, I noticed a small bottle. It was labeled "wake up". Figuring it couldn't hurt, and that it might be like a super shot of caffeine, I uncorked the bottle and chugged it. Instantly, I felt my head begin to clear and my eyes being opened wide. The lack of sleep from the night before and the events of the day didn't seem to weigh so heavily on me now. I felt like I could run a mile!

"God, this is great stuff," I muttered to myself, corking the bottle and putting it back down on the squat table. "I need one of these every morning."

I stretched and heard someone cough behind me. I whirled around and saw it was only Dumbledore, smiling at me with his twinkling eyes. I smiled back and walked over to him, leaning against the desk to talk to him.

"I see they're preparing to fight," he observed over his half-moon spectacles. I nodded silently and he regarded me thoughtfully.

"You seem prepared to die, at a moment's notice. You've accepted that your husband may go the same way as well," Dumbledore said, "But keeping the secret with one person, one who could easily perish at any moment, is absurd."

I straightened up, intrigued by this information. Severus was hiding a secret?

"In the event Severus cannot tell Harry the information he needs to know, you'll need to tell him," Dumbledore said cryptically. I was itching to know what Severus had to say to Harry; and would Harry even listen to him?

"The night that Voldemort tried to kill Harry, he inadvertently created a Horcrux out of Harry," Dumbledore said blandly.

"What?" I exclaimed. "But that- it- that doesn't make sense! You can't make Horcruxes out of people!"

Dumbledore watched me over his glasses in a silent manner that allowed me to figure everything out by myself. It couldn't be possible… And yet, it made perfect sense. The way Harry could see inside Voldemort's mind and feel his emotions. The affinity they seemed to have for one another. Why I had gravitated to him. He held a piece of my father's soul inside of him, the father I hadn't known yet, and I had made friends with him because of the pull my father's soul had had.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Because if Severus cannot do it, I need someone to finish it. And Harry needs to know because… He needs to die."

This wasn't as much of a blow as Harry's being a Horcrux. Probably because Harry needing to die made more sense.

"But, when the Horcruxes are gone, and Harry is dead, who will finish him off?" I asked, not specifying who "him" was.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he said, "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Suddenly, I was filled with a purpose. I would finish this. I would murder Lord Voldemort when Harry was cold and couldn't finish the job. I would have that honor. I nodded resolutely and said, "Thanks Dumbledore. I'll make sure Harry knows."

He tilted his head towards me and I turned, walking around the desk and striding out the door. I hurried down to the Great Hall and could hear people cheering. I peeked in and saw the Order standing there, bold as brass and the window across the hall was shattered. Severus was nowhere in sight.

I scurried in as McGonagall was announcing that anyone who was of age was allowed to stay and fight. Cheers went up around the hall and I spotted Harry. Hermione and Ron weren't anywhere near him though. I fought my way through the crowd of the scared first years and the protesting fourth, fifth, and sixth years that were not of age and made my way over to him. When I was standing beside him, I had to shout in his ear in order for him to hear me over the din.

"Where's Severus?" I yelled.

"He left! He and McGonagall fought and he left like the coward he is!" Harry replied. I was barbed by the comment, but held my tongue. Only a little while longer, and the whole Wizarding world would know how brave my husband was.

Suddenly, a cold, clear voice filled the room. I knew at once it was Voldemort and glanced over at Harry who was as white as a sheet. Some people clutched their friends and siblings in fright, and I thought grimly that, if Voldemort had seen this, he would have been satisfied with the response.

"I know you are preparing to fight, but it is futile. You cannot fight me, and I do not wish to spill more magical blood than is necessary. Give me Potter, and you will all be spared."

There was a pause and he continued. "I speak directly to you Harry Potter. Give yourself over, and no one will be harmed. Your loved ones and friends will not be murdered. How much more blood must be shed before you give yourself up?"

Another pause. "I speak to Katherine now. You descend from the purest of families, the purest of blood. You were raised by the Malfoys, a noble family, and have married into the Snapes. You have done well for yourself."

"Not like you ever gave me a damned choice!" I yelled at the ceiling, shaking my fist at the disembodied voice.

"It is with great displeasure then that I inform you that you will be struck down like Potter. I regret that my own flesh and blood must be slaughtered, but you have defied me. I have given you too many chances to amend your ways. But, the family tree must be pruned. To keep this family healthy, we must cut you out."

"Oh geez, I'm SO scared. Like I ever wanted to be your damned daughter in the first place, you egotistical, sadistic megalomaniac!" I screamed.

"You have until midnight."

Silence. "There's Potter, get him!" Pansy screamed.

"Pansy!" I admonished, my jaw dropping. Other's moved in front of Harry though, protecting him from Pansy's glare.

"You may go Miss Parkinson," said McGonagall sternly. As she was lead away, everyone else went to preparing for battle or evacuating.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" I asked Harry. He shrugged and said, "Not sure."

"Ok… What to do next?" I asked, wanting this to be over as soon as possible.

He looked at me incredulously and said, "You're not going to join your husband?"

I shook my head, exasperated. "No Harry. I'm on your side. And he can hold his own. Besides, if anything happens, I've already said goodbye."

He made a face, but said nothing. I wondered if Harry would have a chance to say goodbye to those he loved. Probably not.

"Come on," Harry said. "Let's go."

I followed him out of the Great Hall and he was rationalizing everything that had gone on that night.

"Voldemort thought I would go to Ravenclaw Tower, Snape and the Carrows said so. So that's a start. It must be the diadem, but where in Hogwarts would it be?"

"I'm not sure," I said, wringing my hands in thought. "There are plenty of hiding places. The Slytherin common room, Ravenclaw Tower…"

I found myself wishing Ron and Hermione were there to help us, and then in turn became worried about the fact that Harry hadn't seen them.

"It could be anywhere," Harry said deflated. And then he perked up. "Hey, they said that the diadem hadn't been seen by anyone in _living _memory."

I cottoned on, "So that must mean… What about the Grey Lady?"

"Exactly!" he enthused. "Where do we find her though?"

I paused, puzzled. Then I spotted Nearly Headless Nick.

"Oi! Sir Nicholas!" I called out. He turned and, upon seeing Harry and I, shone. Well, in the way that ghosts can.

"How may I be of service?" he asked, tilting his hat in our direction.

"Nick, where's the Grey Lady?" Harry implored. Nick looked affronted by this and said, "If it is ghostly services you require I-"

"No, it's got to be her," Harry said firmly, cutting across his sentence. "Do you know where she is?"

Nick pointed a ghostly finger down the corridor at a pale woman with waist-length hair and a long traveling cloak. She turned in our direction, and then glided through a wall. Harry and I looked at each other, and then ran through to the corridor she had disappeared in.

"Wait!" I yelled. "Helena Ravenclaw?"

She paused, shocked by the use of her given name. She turned around and said, "I am the Grey Lady."

"But when you lived you were Helena Ravenclaw; I've noticed your picture in books," I challenged. She sniffed, a haughty and proud gesture, and turned away.

"We need help!" Harry called out desperately. "We need to find the diadem!"

She turned back around, her face set into a cruel and mocking expression. "You are hardly the first to covet my mother's diadem."

Harry seemed stunned by this information of her being Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, so I took up the flag and soldiered on.

"We need to defeat Voldemort; it's not about getting better marks," I said bluntly.

She regarded me thoughtfully and asked, "You're Voldemort's daughter? And you have paired up with his sworn enemy, Harry Potter?"

"Yes, yes, I've been surprising everyone with my lack of taste," I said sarcastically. Harry made a slight, offended noise behind me, but I waved him off. I focused on her.

"You seek to destroy your own father?" she inquired, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Yes."

She sighed and then said, "I must commend you and your friends for your bravery. And for that, I'll tell you about my mother's diadem."

She drew herself up and said in a tone that was the complete opposite of her stance, "I stole it."

"What?" Harry and I asked at the same time, agog at this new information. "Yes," she said blushingly. Well, not really blushingly. Her cheeks turned opaque.

"I sought to make myself more important than her, so I stole it and ran away in the night. In time, my mother became ill. On her death bed, she asked a man who had loved me for a long time to search for me. When he found me, I was in a forest in Albania. I heard him coming and hid the diadem in a tree. He compelled me to go back with him, and when I wouldn't, he stabbed me in the heart."

I gasped and Harry looked astounded. The Grey Lady pulled back her traveling cloak to reveal a bloody wound.

"The Baron was always a hot-tempered man, which is why he killed me. Jealous at my freedom, furious at my refusal; when he couldn't have me, he decided no one could," the Grey Lady explained.

"How terrible," I whispered. Seemingly pleased at my horror, the Grey Lady said, "Yes it is, isn't it?"

"Hold on… Do you mean the Bloody Baron?" Harry said slowly. The Grey Lady nodded. "When he saw what he had done, he turned the knife on himself in remorse. He still wears those chains for penance, even these centuries later," she said bitterly.

"Have you told anyone else this story?" I prodded. Helena Ravenclaw closed her eyes. "Only one. He was so charming. In fact-"

She opened her eyes and looked directly at me in such a way; it was like she could see through me. Like I was the transparent ghost and she the living, solid human being.

"You look just like him," she said finally. I felt a chill go through me. I had heard plenty of times before that I looked like Voldemort, but her saying it was a million times weirder and worse than anyone else, somehow. I turned and threw over my shoulder, "Thanks for your help. You've no idea how much you've helped us."

I pulled Harry along with me and we walked off down the corridor. My mind was whirling; where would Voldemort have hidden the diadem?

The battle began outside of the castle.

Abruptly, Harry stopped in the middle of the corridor. "The Room of Requirement."

"What?" I asked, completely dumbfounded. "The Room of Requirement!" Harry yelled in delight. "That's where he hid it, where he put the diadem! When I needed to hide my potions book last year-"

I shot him a dirty look, remembering why he had to and he ignored me. "-I hid it in a cupboard and marked it with this ugly bust. I put a wig and a tiara on it and it looks _exactly _like the one Rowena Ravenclaw is wearing on her statue in Ravenclaw Tower!"

I was in awe. I couldn't believe that Voldemort would hide something so precious to him, in a storage room that anyone could access. It was mindblowing how much he thought of the enchantments on the school, and how idiotic he thought others would be so that no one could find it.

"Let's go!" I said, taking off down the corridor, Harry hot on my heels. We reached the Room of Requirement, and I was clutching a stitch in my side. My eyes were blurry from having run so hard, and Ron and Hermione swam into view.

I straightened up immediately and demanded, "Where in the hell have you two been? We've been worried sick!"

"The Chamber of Secrets," Ron replied rather smugly.

"We- what?" Harry asked, confused. I looked at Hermione who was beaming with pride and holding yellow, curved objects in her arms.

"It was Ron's idea," she said breathlessly. "It was brilliant really. I said that we needed something to destroy the Horcruxes with, and then he suggested that we go down to the Chamber to get some of the fangs."

"But how did you get in?" Harry asked, bewildered. Ron made a strange hissing noise and looked proud of himself.

"I thought I'd heard you do it enough mate, so I thought I'd have a go. Hermione did the cup, I thought she should have the honor since she hasn't done one yet," he said.

"Alright, now that that's settled, let's get the diadem," I said, clapping my hands together to signal we should get a move on.

"Well, where is it?" Hermione asked.

"The Room of Requirement!" Harry said, gesturing toward the blank wall. If Hermione and Ron were confused, they didn't show it. The battle raged on as we entered the Room of Requirement, which was empty, save for Ginny, Tonks and a woman that was unmistakably Neville's grandmother.

"Ginny, you need to get out," Ron said, jabbing his thumb behind him towards the door. Ginny looked excited and ran for it.

"But you need to come back in when we're finished!" Harry yelled after her. He shook his head and Neville's grandmother addressed the four of us.

"Where is my grandson?" she inquired. "He's fighting," Hermione said.

"Naturally," she said proudly, and tottered off. Tonks came up to us and asked, "Is Remus alright?"

I could tell she was anxious for her husband, and I felt a pang of anxiety when I thought of mine. No sooner had I thought this, Tonks was speeding from the room in search of him.

"Alright, we need to go outside to make it get to the room we need it to be," Harry instructed. We followed him out and then entered again when we had performed the ritual. Inside the Room, all was quiet.

"Hey, shouldn't we get the house elves?" Ron said suddenly.

"Why so they can fight for us?" Harry asked dryly.

"No, so we can get them to safety. We don't want any more Dobbys, and we can't ask them to die for-"

I heard a clattering on the floor and footsteps behind me. I turned around just in time to see Hermione running in Ron's direction. I whipped my head back around and saw her throw herself into Ron's arms and plant a firm kiss on his lips. Ron dropped what he was holding and pulled Hermione closer; making one of the most beautiful scenes I was ever to witness.

"Is this the moment?" Harry asked with a weak smile. They didn't respond, just gripped each other tighter and kept locking lips.

"OI! There's a war going on here!" Harry yelled. They pulled apart, Hermione pink in the face and Ron grinning like he had just won the Quidditch World Cup.

"I know mate, so it's now or never, isn't it?" Ron asked cheekily.

I snorted affectionately and said, "I think what Harry is trying to say is- try to not snog each other's brains out until we have the diadem."

They nodded and began to pick up their things, both looking pleased with themselves. My heart sang; at least something good came from this wretched battle. At least they knew now.

"About time, isn't it?" I asked Harry quietly. He nodded fervently and smiled.

"Alright, spread out. It'll be on a bust with an ugly wig, on top of a cupboard," Harry said after Ron and Hermione picked up their things. We went off in different directions.

I slowly walked through my corridor of piled junk and found nothing. Soon, everyone else's footsteps echoed into silence and I found myself alone with my thoughts. I felt anguish at the thought that Severus might already be dead at the hands of the Dark Lord. Maybe he was unconscious somewhere, left for dead. My heart chilled at that thought and I scolded myself for being so melodramatic. I just needed to think of Severus as Schrodinger's Cat. Schrodinger was a Muggle scientist I had read about who put a cat in a box. He put a vial of poison in the box with it, set to go off at any random moment. Until the box was opened, the cat could be thought of as both alive, and dead.

And then I mentally slapped myself for thinking about Schrodinger's Cat when my life, my family's lives, and my friend's lives were on the line. In fact, I was so busy thinking about it, I almost didn't hear Harry scream out, "RON!"

I could hear the panic in his voice and knew that it wasn't the diadem. I could hear running feet and joined them, trying to get over to Harry's aisle. I was running fast, my adrenaline pumping through my veins, my breath coming fast and short. My vision started blurring from lack of oxygen and my face was tingling. I hated my body for being so weak. I was about to double over and pass out when I caught sight of familiar silvery-blonde hair.

"Draco!" I exclaimed under my breath. I ran the rest of the distance and heard, "It's the Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!"

"No!" I screamed, and thankfully saw Hermione leap aside from the spell. Furious, I sent a Stunning spell to one of Draco's cronies. It hit him square in the back and I whispered, "Accio wand!"

It zoomed into my hand and I pocketed it. I ran over to see it was Goyle. And, just because I was feeling rather vindictive and nearly nineteen years of hate were flowing in my body, I kicked him hard in the gut.

Feeling better, I looked up to see Crabbe aiming his wand at me. A jet of green light came shooting out of his wand and I ducked, feeling the curse ruffle my hair.

"The Dark Lord says we've got to kill you Kathy," he mocked, using my hated childhood name. He had always used it when he wanted to scorn.

I shrugged and said, "Looks like it's not going to happen today."

He shot a disarming spell at me and I felt rather than saw Draco deflect it. I looked over at him and I felt a rush of gratitude and love. He pulled me close with one arm in a hug-like pose and then ran off to get the trio. Soon, he came running back, screaming his head off. Goyle got to his feet unsteadily and Draco started dragging him along, screaming about fire. I looked up and saw a great beast of fire, towering higher and higher. Crabbe ran past and said, "Enjoy it!"

He laughed maniacally and I ran forward into the flame, looking for the three of them. They were mounting broomsticks when I found them and Harry motioned for me to get on his since Hermione was on Ron's. I slung my leg over and we took off.

I looked behind me and saw that the fire was mutating, turning into the dangerous beasts of magic. Chimeras, serpents, dragons. It was unimaginable heat, and I could feel it singe my clothes and hair. I could feel soot collecting on my face. The fire seared and burned, and it felt as if tar was forming in my lungs from all the smoke inhalation. Everything was going rather hazy, and I hoped we reached the exit soon, so I could lie down, and sleep…

We were flying towards the exit when I saw my brother huddled in a little space with Goyle, the creatures circling ever closer to them. Draco let out a wail when he saw me and, without my provocation, Harry dived for them. Ron followed suit and Ron and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom. Draco got onto mine and Harry's in a heartbeat and we took off, mere inches away from the whip of a serpent's tail.

We reached the exit due to Harry's expert flying and crashed into the wall opposite the Room of Requirement. I fell to the floor, hard, on my left side and the wind was knocked out of me. My eyes felt nearly burned out of their sockets and I rolled over and my stomach churned.

I coughed and felt nausea overcoming me. I rolled over and retched horridly. Distantly I could hear the others coughing and Draco calling for Crabbe.

"He's dead," I could hear Ron say, so faint as if he had to yell it through a tunnel. Hermione crawled over to me and put a hand to my forehead. Her hand was cool and didn't smell like ash. She sounded alarmed when she asked if I was alright.

"I'm fine," I said forcefully, and attempted to sit up. My head spun. I didn't need this; I needed to be clear headed for the upcoming task. Murdering Voldemort.

I looked around at all of them and saw they had all mostly recovered and were looking at me concernedly.

"Perhaps you should have a lie down in the Great Hall; it's where they're keeping all the wounded," Hermione said worriedly.

The thought of being labeled as one of the wounded and faint of heart repulsed me. It gave me the strength to stand up to tell her off, but it didn't give me the strength to keep standing. My legs felt like jelly and I tried to casually prop myself against the wall so none of them would notice. But one look told me they had.

"Katy," Hermione said quietly, so quiet that even I could barely hear. "Sna- Severus wouldn't want you to kill yourself by acting the hero. He'd want you to get tended to by Madame Pomfrey."

"Maybe," I mumbled, my head throbbing in the most miraculous way, "but I intend to do this. I'm fighting this battle."

She pressed her lips tightly together, but didn't say another word against my choice. I shut my eyes tight against the pounding headache and then opened them to find that the battle was still raging all around us. Now was not the time to quibble over who should go to the Hospital Wing; now was the time to act. Draco and Goyle had already left.

Suddenly, Harry clapped a hand to his forehead and cried out. Ron put a hand on his shoulder and after a few seconds, Harry opened his eyes, which had closed in the process of the blinding pain he felt when he had a vision, and said, "He's in the boathouse. He wants me to go to him. He told Malfoy Sr. to get Snape."

It was if a ray of light had pushed through the hazy, dark cloud the smoke had caused in my brain. I snapped to attention and said, "They're still alive? And Voldemort wants to see Severus in the boat house?"

"He's not even fighting?" Hermione said, outraged.

Harry shrugged. "He thinks he doesn't have to."

I wanted to scream in frustration. "Can we get back to my questions? I want to know if my father and husband are most definitely still alive! I want to know what Voldemort plans on doing with my husband!"

Harry looked at me uneasily and said, "They're both still alive. I don't know what he wants with Snape though."

I wanted to cry. Did this mean that Voldemort was going to dispose of Severus? I pushed back my thoughts of fear and said clearly, "We need to get to the boat house. Now."

I started running in the direction of the grounds and they followed me. I don't remember much of crossing the grounds; I think maybe some acromantulas and some giants impeded our advancement a couple times. All I remember for a fact though, was my heart was in my throat, and my adrenaline pumped so heavily in my veins, I didn't feel the usual need to double over and pant and sputter. I didn't need to slow my racing heart; it was already ice cold, thinking of Severus.

The first clear memory I have after commanding the three of them to run, is me saying to them, "If I have to go in there for any reason, don't come after me. If he kills me, don't burst through the door. Be _smart._"

They all nodded solemnly and we crept closer to the boat house, my heart racing. We pressed our ears up against the darkened glass and listened intently.

"Do you know why I called you back from the battle Severus?" Voldemort asked him, hissing slightly at the end of Severus's name.

"No, My Lord, but let me find Potter," Severus said in a voice that I could tell rang with desperation. I felt Harry stiffen beside me and wanted to retort that my husband didn't want to kill him, merely wanted to tell him he needed to die. And then I realized neither would really help in the present situation.

"You sound like Lucius," Voldemort said, contempt clear in his voice. "Potter does not need finding, he will come to me."

"He might be accidentally killed by one other than yourself though, My-"

"My orders to my Death Eaters have been clear," Voldemort said harshly. "Capture Potter, but kill his friends. Even Katherine."

He said my name with an untraceable something. If I didn't know better, I would say that it was longing. I looked over at Ron, Hermione and Harry, and saw that they had heard it too. They were shocked.

"But I am here to talk of you Severus, not the boy," Voldemort said, clearly ready to get on to business.

"I am worried about what will happen when I finally meet the boy."

Severus seemed clearly relieved at this concern, and said in a much easier voice, "There is no question of that My Lord-"

"But there is a question!" Voldemort said dangerously. My heart leapt. I knew this was something serious, something that weighed heavily on his mind. And if Severus did not supply the right answer, he may be killed.

"Why did both wands I use fail when directed at Harry Potter, Severus?" Voldemort asked softly. I pressed my ear harder against the door, my pulse racing.

"My Lord- I do not understand-" Severus said, faltering for the first time.

"Don't you?" Voldemort breathed.

Severus didn't answer, and Harry breathed sharply, one that I immediately identified as pain. I looked over at him and saw his eyes were closed. I watched for a bit longer and realized that he was watching what was going on in the room, through Voldemort's eyes. What I wouldn't have given to be him at that moment, to see what was happening rather than having to eavesdrop and try and make out shapes in a darkened room.

"The wand I procured at Ollivander's shared a core with Potter's, which is why it would not work when I tried to kill him the first time. When I took Lucius's wand, it merely broke, even though Ollivander said that my problem could be solved by using another's wand."

Severus remained silent.

"I sought another wand, the most powerful wand in existence. The Elder Wand. The Wand of Destiny. The Deathstick. I took it from its previous master. I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore."

I barely suppressed a strangled cry of rage and offense. How dare he desecrate Dumbledore's tomb!

His voice shaking almost imperceptibly, Severus said, "My Lord, you have performed wondrous things with that wand."

"No, Severus, I am wondrous. This wand does not behold the power of legend. It has not yet revealed its secrets to me," Voldemort said, barely over a slow, sinuous, dangerous whisper. I looked over at Hermione in fear, who was clutching Ron tightly. She glanced over at me with sorrow in her eyes. Sorrow? Why that rather than fear? Had she already figured something out?

I pressed my ear back up against the windows of the boat house, harder than ever before.

"Perhaps you know the tale Severus, the Tale of the Three Brothers? No? Well, let me inform you."

He paused and then began, this time with what seemed like more conviction in his voice. "The brother who obtained the wand, after boasting of its power, had his throat slit, thus beginning the necessity to kill the former owner of the wand to truly master it. You killed Albus Dumbledore. I must kill you."

At this point, I hurled myself off the ground and ran into the boat house, screaming, "NO!"

Voldemort froze and all the color drained from Severus's face. I was breathing hard, my heart trying to break free of its confines. Then Voldemort smiled.

"Katherine. My traitorous daughter."

He circled me slowly, and I could feel his accusatory eyes measuring me. I didn't care. All I did was look into Severus's eyes, which were despairing over what he felt was a poor choice in my judgment. I straightened up proudly. I would keep my husband from being killed.

"I could kill you now, you know," Voldemort threatened sinisterly. The malice in his voice made my resolve to stand there, erect and solid, crumbled. I sagged and looked into his eyes, something I had not ever been able to do before. I almost flinched when I saw how inhumanely red they were.

"You can't," I said, my lips trembling so much I could barely form the words. "You can't kill him!"

"And why not?" he demanded. When I didn't answer, Voldemort's gaze went back and forth between the two of us and he tutted softly.

"Oh Katherine. You're in love."

I clenched my hands in my robes, trying to not let his tone of voice get to me. He tutted again and said, "I thought better of you. You let yourself feel a foolish emotion, one that destroys you."

"Don't kill him!" I whispered fiercely, blinking back tears. Somehow, I had to get the both of us out of there, safely.

"Whyever not?" Voldemort asked. He knew the answer; he wanted me to say it.

"Because I love him."

It felt so good to admit it, after such a long time. It felt so good to say it, after constantly lying to everyone. But I knew it condemned us.

"I think that does not persuade me into not doing what needs to be done," Voldemort said with a sneer.

And then I dropped to my knees. At first, I didn't realize what had happened. I wondered how solid wood had come in contact with my knees and looked down to see they had hit the floor. I looked up and him and said, "I'm begging you, please! I'm not above begging for my husband's life; or my own."

This didn't seem to convince him, so I gripped his robes and said, "I'll do anything!" I was desperate. I could almost already see the flash of green light, see my husband's cold, stiff body set at an awkward angle, his eyes staring up at nothing and glossed over. I started crying in earnest at this image and Voldemort backed away from me, almost afraid he would catch the fatal disease of love.

Tonelessly, Voldemort said, "You remind me of a girl who once begged for her son's life. Shall I tell you the story?"

Angry that he should play such games, I retorted, "This isn't story hour for little kids."

He smiled maliciously and said, "Then stop acting like a child."

I glared at him and picked myself off the floor. I advanced on him, and said, "Trying to protect the ones you love is not childish!"

"Katherine!" Severus said, appalled that I should come in such close proximity of Voldemort. But he seemed to allow it.

"I would do anything- anything!- to protect my family. And if that means falling to my knees and begging you for their lives, then so be it," I said vehemently.

Voldemort gazed at me, unmoved my by show of passion. "To love is to destroy. You are your own undoing Katherine. Your love for this man- it comes at a price."

I panicked. He wasn't going to budge, I just knew it. He was going to kill him, without a second thought.

"Please!" I whispered, eyes now glittering with tears. Apparently unable to stand my show of affection towards my husband any longer, he shoved me aside and I stumbled, falling to the floor. Voldemort slashed his wand in the air and Nagini, who I now noticed was encased in some sort of enchanted cage, floated to Severus. His eyes widened and his face drained of all color as Nagini's cage circled his head and Nagini bit down on his neck.

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, sobbing. Nagini was extremely venomous, and I knew Severus would be dead in minutes. Then I heard a cold voice in my ear.

"Watch. Then come to the Forbidden Forest to tell me he is dead."

He disapparated, and I was left alone with my dying husband.

I crawled over to him, tears flowing freely down my face. He was slumped against the wall, and his collar and most of his shirt was bloody. I gently turned his neck and saw the punctures where Nagini had bitten him. Severus took my hand and looked me in the eyes. They were filled with such remorse and love, I cried even harder.

He would never see our children grow up. We would never grow old together, live our lives out. We were only given those few, short years. I could feel Severus's life slipping away between my hands and I pulled his head into my lap, cradling it, my tears raining down on his chest.

I heard the door to the boat house open and did not care if it was friend or foe. All I cared was that my husband was dying in my arms. I looked around and saw it was the trio.

"Katherine," Ron breathed, apparently at a loss of what to say. I sniffled and cried even more, too upset and devastated to articulate words. Severus's breath was now shallow and ragged.

"Are you just going to sit there and do nothing for him?" Harry asked, outraged. I turned on him and said, "There's nothing I can do Harry! He's- he's-"

"Most definitely going to die if you don't do something right now," Harry said harshly. "I'm sure you know something."

At this point, Severus was hardly breathing, and I could feel him being pulled into the next life. He was a mere couple minutes away from death.

Harry's blunt words were what I needed to clear my head. An idea popped into my head and I started scrambling through his pockets, trying to find the anti-venom. At last I had located it and I uncorked the bottle. The stuff smelled foul.

Severus pushed my hand away with such little force, as if he didn't want the anti-venom, as if he wasn't capable of much more than a slight shove. This scared me more than anything. My rock solid husband, not even able to push my hand away.

Emboldened by this, I tipped the contents down his throat. He made an awful, gurgling noise and my hand shook as I pulled out my wand.

"Vulnera Sanentuer… Vulnera Sanentuer…"

I waved my wand over the bite, while muttering the spell, concentrating on it closing up the wound. When it did, the blood stopped flowing. Hermione shoved a bottle in my hand and I looked at the label. Blood Replenishing. Bless her.

I tipped the contents down his throat again, yet this time he didn't gurgle. He looked wild-eyed, and like he wanted to say something.

"Take… them… Potter…"

He started pushing silvery blue stuff from his eyes, mouth, nose. I recognized them immediately as memories. I looked over at Harry confusedly and gave him the just emptied flask. He filled the flask up to the brim with Severus's memories and retreated, not looking too sure of himself.

As if he was no longer capable of being gentle, Severus seized my shirt and pulled me toward him. He looked like he had a hard time saying something, and I could barely make it out over the rasp of his voice, his voice that had been smoother than velvet.

"L-love…" was all I could make out. I cried freely, letting the tears flow over my cheeks and pulled him back into my lap. I stroked his hair, and face, shushing him. I wondered if the anti-venom had worked, if it was healing him as I comforted him. It didn't seem to be working in the slightest.

"I love you too," I whispered, as a tear slid off my nose and onto his cheek. I brushed it away and he gave a small smile.

He became rather still and I wept, for I feared he had given up the ghost.

_Author's Note: Did he live? Did he die? I don't know! Anyways, comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	123. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three

_This chapter is all in Harry's POV, but the divider "-o-" shows that time has passed. You'll see what I mean. :)_

Katherine was slumped over her husband, clutching his still form and crying her eyes out, whimpering every so often. Hermione knelt beside her and gently hugged her, like a sister would. Ron patted the top of her head awkwardly. It was hard to comfort someone who mourned the loss of a person you hated.

"Come on, Katy. Let's go," I could hear Hermione say softly. Katherine just held onto Snape tighter and looked frantic as she said, "No, I can't leave him!"

"Katherine, there's nothing you can do for him now," Ron said.

"But I-" she choked, trying to speak past tears. "I can't just leave him here."

"We can come get him later," Hermione said in her soothing voice. She pried Katherine away from Snape's body and Katherine crumbled into her arms, unable to support herself. She latched onto Hermione and cried. Ron patted her back, and, while everyone wasn't looking, I went over to Snape's body to check and make sure he truly was dead.

I took a wrist and felt for a pulse. When I didn't feel one after about ten seconds, I gave up. But then, when I slightly moved my fingers, I felt it. It was faint, and almost undetectable, but it was there. I gave a yelp and dropped the wrist. It hit the floor hard and I watched Snape's chest. It was rising, but only a few millimeters.

Katherine looked over at me when she heard the noise and gave me a horrified look. "What are you doing?" she screeched. She dragged her husband's body away from me, as if she feared I was going to desecrate it. I grabbed onto one of his legs to keep her from dragging him any farther and said, "Listen! He's alive!"

She shook her head and said, "Don't toy with me Harry Potter! This is cruel." Her eyes filled with tears again and Hermione rubbed circles on her back and glared at me, thinking I was an insensitive prat. Ron shook his head in my direction and I felt panicked. I didn't like the guy, but obviously he mattered to Katherine. And while we weren't friends, we made a quiet, unspoken truce, one I was sure included letting someone know if their spouse wasn't dead yet.

I walked over to her and took one of her hands. I pressed a couple of her small fingers to the place where I had felt his pulse and waited. It took a little bit, but soon her face went from grief-stricken widow to shining hope. A smile spread across her face and she hollered for joy. It was soon cut off though, by Voldemort's voice issuing through the walls.

"You have fought valiantly," he said. Katherine gripped her husband's comatose body in fear and Hermione grabbed Ron's hand.

"I am calling off my Death Eaters for one hour. Tend to your wounded, dispose of your dead with dignity. If, by the end of the hour, Harry Potter has not come to me in the Forbidden Forest, we resume battle. And I will make sure that every man, woman and child who tries to shield him from me is slaughtered."

I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. I had to give myself up, for surely so many people had died already… Snape almost did. Or was on the brink of death. I held the flask of memories in my hand and asked, "Katherine?"

She looked up at me, her face tracked with tears and said, "Yes?"

I held up the flask and said, "Do you know what's in here?"

She stared at me for a minute and said, "I think I have a good idea."

Whatever that cryptic answer meant. She put her face in her hands and sighed deeply. She came up from her hands and said, "Alright, here's what has to happen. I have to get Severus up to the castle. Harry needs to put the memories in the Pensieve. And, if you'll allow me, I'd like to be there when you do. There are things you need to know."

I nodded and didn't ask what I needed to know. Clearly she wasn't going to tell me right now. Hermione and Ron nodded as well, and didn't contest.

Katherine pulled out her wand and flicked it in Snape's direction. He rose and hovered slightly over all our heads. She marched toward the door and opened it, making sure to not trip, or Snape would have fallen. I just watched, completely taken in by her show of devotion to her husband. And it had to be genuine.

She started walking back to the school, and we followed her, like a sad, funeral procession. I pushed that thought from my mind. Snape was not dead. The trek up to the castle was silent and somewhat lonely. We walked across the grounds, where the wounded were being lifted onto stretchers and the dead were being carried away by burlier men. Oliver Wood picked up the limp form of Colin Creevey and walked slowly towards the castle. I bit down hard on my tongue, to keep from feeling anything other than sorrow.

When we made it into the castle, Katherine marched into the Great Hall, her husband floating above her. I heard murmurs, whispers. I knew she could hear them too, but kept a stony face. She found an empty cot and put him there. McGonagall rushed over and said, "This is for the wounded and their families!"

Katherine looked her dead in the face and said, "Do you not see he is wounded? And am I not family?"

McGonagall drew herself up and, nostrils flaring, said, "He is the enemy! No one will approve- remove him at once!"

Katherine opened her mouth to tell McGonagall off- I could see it flashing in her eyes- and Hermione put a hand on her shoulder. The girls communicated silently, and Katherine merely took my arm and led me from the Great Hall. On my way out, I saw the Weasley family hugging each other, glad to be alive. Fred and George especially wouldn't let go of each other. Remus and Tonks were sitting not too far away from them, sipping something in cups, completely silent. I tore my eyes away from the masses of dead I saw around me and left the Hall.

We reached the Headmaster's Study in no time.

"Password?" the griffin asked.

"Dumbledore," Katherine replied. It jumped aside and allowed us entrance. How strange that the password to Snape's study should be "Dumbledore"…

-o-

I drew my face from the Pensieve and Katherine was watching me steadily. She didn't say anything, and my head was whirling. Snape was in love with my mother. It was why he had protected me. And then he fell in love with Katherine, and had children with her. And because of her passion to hate Voldemort, he kept his vow to see him destroyed.

He risked his life for me, for my mother, for his wife, his children. I watched him grow up with my mother, fall in love with her, and have his heart shattered when he uttered something he didn't mean. And then he found love and hope again with Katherine. I could see it in his face when he showed me the memory of their wedding, their children being born.

And then he showed me the memory of Dumbledore, Dumbledore telling him I must die. I shuddered slightly. I looked over at Katherine who looked sympathetic.

"How long have you known?" I asked calmly.

She bit her lip and said, "I was only told a couple hours ago. Dumbledore told me, in case… In case Severus couldn't." She tripped over the last few words and I could see now why she had so strongly defended him all those times, why she had claimed to love him and stand by him, no matter what others thought. It was because she had known all this time that her husband was a good man, and that he fought for us on a daily basis.

"Why didn't you tell us about Snape?" I asked, genuinely curious.

She sighed and said, "You heard him. He didn't want anyone to know, he didn't want anyone to see he was in love with Lily Evans. And it helped him play the role of spy better."

"You had to lie to everyone," I stated. She nodded.

"All for the cause," she whispered. It was then that I fully appreciated how much Snape and Katherine had done for us. And while Katherine may not have been on the front line, kicking ass and taking names, she kept behind the scenes, keeping up the illusion Snape needed.

"I have to die," I said softly. She nodded her head.

"I'll come with you. I need to be with Voldemort anyways. He's expecting me," Katherine said gently.

I squared my shoulders and said, "Alright. I'll go into the Forbidden Forest with you."

She nodded silently, and we left the office together. The halls were silent, and my heart hammered against my chest, like it was making up for the remaining beats it would never get to. Katherine put a hand on my shoulder, not to steer me into Voldemort's midst, but to comfort. She must know how hard it was to willingly give your life up.

But she had never gotten quite to this point. She had never walked into Death's arms, knowing he would be there awaiting her. She had only thrown herself in Death's path, taking a chance that he wouldn't sweep her up. And, luckily, he never had.

"Get the snake when I'm gone," I whispered to her as we exited the building.

"Hermione or Ron can do that," she said fiercely. "I'm doing what needs to be done. I'm going to kill Voldemort. I'm going to have that honor."

And, weirdly enough, that sounded right. I was ok with Katherine carrying out the task of murdering Voldemort. It seemed fitting, more than anyone else doing it. I felt at ease thinking that there would be someone to do that, and that someone being Katherine.

We reached Hagrid's hut and I pulled out the Invisibility Cloak. Katherine nodded her approval and we walked on. We reached the edge of the Forest and I saw two Death Eaters. They tensed up when they saw Katherine, and whipped their wands out, as if ready to duel. I took my wand out too, ready to defend if need be.

"Don't," Katherine said her mouth barely moving. "Don't let them deprive you of walking to Voldemort like a man."

I nodded, agreeing to what she said. I wasn't going to let them rob me of my dignity by dragging me to Voldemort.

She walked up to them, me close behind her, and the men addressed her.

"Where is Potter?" one of them demanded.

She shrugged nonchalantly, and gave a dumbfounded expression. I could now see how she had been able to keep up her lies over the years; she was a rather good actress.

"Why are you so late in coming?" one of them asked suspiciously. Katherine's eyes watered and she looked on the verge of tears. I had no idea if they were real or fake.

"If you must know," she snapped, "my husband is now dead! I was mourning him privately before I had to come to this pit of travesties."

They seemed accustomed to her biting retorts and merely shrugged.

"Too bad," the first Death Eater said. "The Dark Lord was really hoping Potter would come."

The second one grinned at her and said, "I'm sure Yaxley will be glad to hear you're a widow now."

Pain and fear flickered across her eyes, and I could tell it wasn't feigned. She drew herself up and said icily, "Widowed or not, Yaxley will not come near me. He is disgusting and I couldn't imagine any woman wanting him."

I would have applauded her, but under the circumstances, it wouldn't have been wise.

She walked into the Forbidden Forest and they followed her, taking long and quick strides to catch up to her and lead her to her father.

I took a deep breath and followed.

_Author's Note: I seriously debated on whether or not to post this tonight. I thought about waiting a couple days to let you guys sweat it out on whether Severus was going to live or not. And his life still hangs in the balance! But, I decided to update tonight because I was excited about this chapter. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, and remember to comment what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	124. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four

I walked through the forest, my hands shaking as I followed the Death Eaters. They were leading me to Voldemort, and he had pledged to see me dead. If he made good on his promise and Severus didn't make it, my children would be parentless. Orphans.

I felt I was surely walking to my death, as Harry was. When Harry had provided distraction enough for a while, he would surely turn to me, and destroy me.

The leaves crunched beneath my feet and twigs cracked. I could barely make out Harry's steps behind me, valiantly walking to Voldemort. I admired his bravery, his sacrifice to bring Voldemort down. I prayed for Harry that it would be swift, and that Voldemort would not choose to be like Bellatrix, who played with her food before she ate it, when he was so close to victory.

And even if I lived, I wondered if I had the strength to kill Voldemort when the time came. I had hate enough; but could I culminate that hate into action? Would my hand be steady enough and would I be able to pronounce the words without stutter?

All too soon, my thoughts were brought up short by the Death Eaters entering a clearing with me on their tail. They stopped abruptly and I nearly walked into them. They moved aside and took their places among Voldemort and the other Death Eaters in the clearing. All eyes were on me.

I looked around and saw that the clearing was nearly pitch black, save for the fire that burned brightly in the middle of it. It cast long and dark shadows around a half-circle of Voldemort's followers. The light made them look like they were leering and sneering. Bellatrix looked haughty and proud, sitting there gazing lovingly at Voldemort. My mother and father were in the circle, gazing at me with relief and apprehension. I couldn't see Draco anywhere. I wondered where he had gotten to after the Room of Requirement fiasco. Maybe he was dead.

I brushed that thought aside. He was most certainly not dead! The thought of my brother lying on the ground staring lifelessly up at someone who would unfeelingly haul his body away was too painful to bear.

I looked past Voldemort and saw that Nagini was coiling in her cage. I wished I could dispose of her now, but it would be impossible given the circumstances. Fenrir Greyback was chewing on his yellowed nails and appeared to be sulking, apparently from lack of a "snack", as he would put it.

My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing. Beads of perspiration adorned my forehead. I had never been so nervous- and afraid.

"Katherine," Voldemort said softly, regarding me with what seemed like interest and contempt. I quivered where I stood, hoping he would hold off on killing me.

"What took you so long?" he asked softly. I thought what had taken me so long- Severus nearly dying- and almost started crying. But I would not give him the satisfaction of breaking down. I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked the tears away. It did not escape Voldemort's notice though.

"Mourning your husband?" he questioned simply. I nodded, hoping he wouldn't think there was more to it.

"Love is a useless emotion," he stated in a ringing voice. "It tears at you needlessly. Live without love, and you have conquered life."

I flinched. I couldn't imagine someone feeling so little. I clenched my hands and said, "Love isn't useless. If you don't have love, you may as well be dead."

Voldemort's face turned into a grimace and then twisted into something far uglier. "Wishful thinking my dear. I will not perish any time soon."

I smirked a little on the inside.

"Where is Potter?" he asked in a snappish voice, clearly wanting for this to be over.

"Right here."

Harry stepped out of the shadows and I could see that he was sweating. He looked rather calm and at peace though.

"HARRY! NO!" came a booming voice that shook. The hairs on the back of my neck raised at this voice full of pity and fear. I turned around slowly and saw that Hagrid was fettered to a tree, struggling to come loose and save Harry from his "predicament".

"DON'T DO IT!" he bellowed, the tree branches dangerously shaking above his head, threatening to break off.

"Silence!" Rowle roared and flicked his wand in Hagrid's direction. Hagrid continued on with his diatribe, this time completely silent.

Bellatrix leapt up, chest heaving with excitement, looking wild-eyed as ever. Harry boldly stared at Voldemort, taking in his gaze unflinchingly. Voldemort cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing Harry with contempt.

"Harry Potter" Voldemort intoned without emotion. "The Boy Who Lived."

I was standing so close to Harry, and my mothering instincts wanted to take his hand and help him through it. But he was a man. Voldemort continued to contemplate him for a few moments, raised his wand, and said unfeelingly, "Avada Kedavra!"

Green light flashed through the clearing and Harry fell to the ground, like a marionette whose strings were cut. Voldemort fell to the ground as well, as if he were passing out. I couldn't believe someone like Voldemort would pass out. Bellatrix apparently couldn't either, and she crouched over him, whispering, "My Lord, My Lord…"

He stirred slightly, and, when he was cognizant enough, said in annoyance, "That will do Bella!"

He picked himself up off the ground and I sighed disappointedly. I suppose I had been half hoping he would die along with Harry.

"The boy," he said, fear and doubt creeping slightly into his voice, "is he dead?"

No one stepped up to volunteer for the job, so I began to walk to Harry, my heart pounding in my chest, hand outstretched, and said, "I will check."

I felt a peculiar burning sensation on his hand that was so abrupt and searing, I yelped and pulled my hand back, cradling it to my chest. I looked over at Voldemort and he said, "No. I do not trust you to give an honest answer. However…"

"You. Make sure," he said, pointing his wand to my mother and flicking it over in Harry's direction. I held my breath as my mother scurried over and began to assess if Harry was truly dead.

She sat there for a minute, checking, and then got up to turn to the congregation and announced, "He is dead!"

Fear flooded my chest, and my heart stopped momentarily. When it resumed, it took up a furious tattoo, nearly sending shock waves down my extremities. Death was so final. I had half believed, like everyone else, that Harry was indestructibile, that somehow he would find his way back to us to finish off Voldemort once and for all. I realized now that everything was truly up to me.

Tears pricked my eyes and I wasn't sure if it was pity for my situation, or sudden pity for Ginny. I may not have liked her, but I would never have wished for someone's love to die.

Everyone was cheering, hugging each other and shooting sparks up in the air. Voldemort's face was relaxed with relief and he said:

"And now, we go to the castle! Who will drag the body? No- wait-"

Voldemort pointed at Hagrid and everyone began to laugh hysterically. Rowle untied Hagrid from the tree, who lumbered forward and took Harry gently in his arms. I noticed his glasses had fallen on the ground and picked them up, clumsily putting them back on his face. I feared I had been a little rough; but there was no way he would have felt it.

"Yes, make him more identifiable," Voldemort said laughingly and patted my shoulder. He must have been in a very good mood for him to show any affection of the sort.

_Nagini and him. Nagini and him._

"Move," Voldemort commanded, keeping a firm grip on my shoulder and leading the joyous procession. I wondered why he deemed me important enough to keep next to him, with Bellatrix sulking and pouting incessantly, until he snarled, "When I am finished enforcing my new regime, I will take care of you."

Ah. That was why. He wanted to make sure I wouldn't get away.

Hagrid was stumbling through the forest, presumably because he couldn't see through his tears. He had truly loved Harry, like his own son. My heart twisted for Hagrid's show of grief.

We cleared the Forest and the Death Eater's cheers and exultations were even louder, stamping their feet on the ground and whooping and hollering as we drew nearer the castle. I held my breath; how would everyone react to Harry's death?

We reached the castle and Voldemort ordered everyone to stop. They all formed a line, an impenetrable line that even I wouldn't have dared to try and cross. Mother and Father tried their hardest to be closer to me, to be near me in case I needed saving for having done something foolish, but were thwarted by Bellatrix who wanted to be more in the Dark Lord's vicinity, to share in his victory.

People started pouring out of the building, all the while Hagrid was sobbing, "Why Harry, why?" I cringed when I heard McGonagall scream bloody murder upon seeing Harry dead in Hagrid's arms. Bellatrix began to cackle, sadistically and triumphantly. I literally recoiled.

Hermione, Ron and Ginny were screaming, yelling, crying, wondering why Harry was dead. Other survivors broke down in tears, some yelled insults and hurled abuse at the Death Eaters. Some people who had taken up for the cause started chanting Harry's name, until-

"SILENCE!" Voldemort roared, and waved his wand at the crowd. They all immediately fell silent, some of their mouths still working frenziedly despite the lack of noise.

"It is over! Set him down at my feet, Hagrid, were he belongs!" Voldemort cried, relishing his new role as dictator.

"Don't you see it is useless to fight?" Voldemort inquired, using his foot to turn over Harry's face to show it to the crowd. I had a sudden flashback to the graveyard, where he had done just the same thing to sweet Cedric Diggory. My stomach roiled.

"He was nothing, ever, than a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" Ron yelled, and it seemed the charm had been broken. Others yelled with him until another bang shot through the early morning and muted the crowd.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds, killed trying to save himself," Voldemort lied, glorying in Harry's downfall.

"LIAR!" I shrieked and wrenched my arm from his clutches, right as Neville ran forward with a strangled cry to attack Voldemort.

Voldemort, in one swipe it seemed, disarmed Neville, hurt him, and silenced me. He gazed at Neville, not once giving a cursory glance in my direction. He threw Neville's wand away and said, "Who is this?"

"It's the Longbottom boy, My Lord! The Auror's son!" Bellatrix said excitedly. Neville threw a look of purest loathing in her direction.

Voldemort studied him and said, "You are Pureblood, are you not?"

"So what if I am?" Neville said harshly. I would have applauded him, but now was not the time.

"We need people like you Neville. Join us."

"I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" Neville shouted in a ringing voice. Other's took up a chant of "Dumbledore's Army". Voldemort's Silencing Charms didn't seem to be working.

Voldemort gave an even louder BANG and the assembly fell silent once more. He pointed his wand towards the school and a lump of cloth headed his way. He caught it deftly and I saw it was the Sorting Hat.

"There will be no more Sorting in this school, no more Houses," he called, levitating the hat towards Neville. "The emblem, colors and shield of our," he pulled me close to him, tightly, "noble ancestor Salazar Slytherin will suffice for everyone. Won't they?"

The question was directed at both me and Neville, but neither of us answered. We merely sat there in stony silence, and I watched as the Sorting Hat was forced onto Neville's head. Voldemort flicked his wand and the hat burst into flames.

Immediately, Neville started clawing at it, howling in pain. And then, all of a sudden, several things happened, the events of which I am still not clear on today, since they happened in such quick succession and chaos formed immediately.

I do remember Neville pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat though, and slicing Nagini's head off as if it were nothing. I remember thinking that if only I had the courage, I would be able to finish him. Voldemort screamed with fury and soon everyone was battling.

I was dragged away by my parents, who were running through the fighting, screaming for Draco. I saw myself get farther and farther away from Voldemort, which was where I needed to be if I was to murder him. I jerked myself from my father's grasp and ran towards him.

McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley were all fighting him at once. Immediately, I joined in. It took him a minute for it to dawn on him that I was dueling him, but when it did, he went into a fit of rage and concentrated on me, forgetting about the other three.

It was just me and him. Fighting it out to the death.

"Get back Malfoy!" McGonagall screamed. "Let us handle it, you'll be killed!"

"NO!" I yelled back, cold and determined. "He's mine! I'm going to kill him!"

A ruthless and cold sneer came over his face as we battled, him sending Killing Curse after Killing Curse, and me bobbing and weaving over and over, trying to Stun him so I could pause him for a moment and then finish him off. I didn't dare send a direct Killing Curse for the fear he would dodge it and it would hit an innocent.

"You're going to kill me?" he screamed with a mirthless laugh. "I'm your father! You wouldn't dare, you don't have the guts!"

"I do dare!" I yelled back, years of hate coursing through my veins. "You've made my life a living hell, you killed my husband! I have every right to kill you, every reason to want you dead! And I will deliver the final blow; you're mortal just like the rest of us!"

He gave a wretched cry and slashed his wand, over and over. The dodging and ducking was beginning to make me dizzy, and I just needed a clear shot. He sent a hex in my direction and I blocked it.

I couldn't believe I had survived this long while dueling Voldemort solo.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "You're nothing but a piece of shit, and I'll gladly murder you! I don't give a fuck if I get a life sentence in Azkaban!"

And then, Bellatrix fell. Molly had just killed her, and she fell backwards. I watched in slow motion as Bellatrix hit the floor, as Voldemort slashed the air in fury and Kingsley, McGonagall, Slughorn and I toppled to the floor in a repelling jinx.

Voldemort turned to Molly Weasley and lifted his wand to smite her, to strike her dead where she stood. His wand cut through the air and…

Nothing. A shield had been formed between the two of them and everyone searched for the source. I saw a flutter of movement in the corner of my eye, and saw that it was Harry, truly alive and well, who had just pulled off his Invisibility Cloak.

I can't tell you much of what happened next, because I already knew so much of the information that Harry shared with Voldemort and the crowd. I will admit that I just kind of zoned out until I heard my husband's name, and found out that it was unnecessary for him to have died for the Elder Wand. And then afterward I zoned out again until they threw curses at each other.

Me, being so short, I had to elbow myself to the front in order to see what happened, and when it did, I only saw the final bit. Voldemort slumping to the floor. Harry catching the Elder Wand. Silence.

And then everyone erupted into cheers, everyone wanted to touch Harry, to hug him, kiss him, shake his hand. Dizzily, in the back of my mind, I realized that it was all over. It would never happen again.

_Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get to you guys! I get really stagnant when I have to write cannon, and see it as pointless since you guys already have read the books. -_- Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it, nonetheless, and make sure to comment on what you liked/didn't like/want to see. Until next chapter! :)_


	125. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Five

The battle was over. The sun was rising along the tops of trees, lighting Hogwarts grounds. Everyone was sitting with their families and hugging each other, crying and laughing. Some were grieving, some were celebrating; but Death had touched almost every family. Only the largest family had seemed to come out of the fighting whole; the Weasleys. I couldn't believe it.

I got up from where I was sitting with my family and my father tugged on my arm, his face clearly strained.

"Stay with us," Mother and Father pleaded. I gently pulled myself away from them and said, "I need to go see my husband."

"The traitor," Father said with venom in his voice. I put my hands on my hips and said, "Like you?"

Pain flashed across his face, and mine softened. "I didn't mean it that way, I just… Don't want you to talk about him that way. He's a good man."

Father nodded and I left. I walked across the Hall and watched as people ate and the less wounded dabbed salve and other unguents on their wounds. I thought of my husband and sped up, striding quickly over to Hermione.

She looked up and greeted me with a smile. I pulled up a corner of my mouth for her benefit, but it was a rather tight smile. I cut to the chase and said, "Did you talk to McGonagall about Severus?"

As if it were a lifetime ago, I remembered strolling into the Great Hall, everyone whispering about us. I had marched up to an empty cot and gently laid Severus down. And then McGonagall refused to allow his to be treated. I had things to do, which Hermione knew, and she silently communicated that she would take care of it. I trusted her, so I did what I needed to do with Harry.

But now I needed to see my husband. To learn if he was still alive.

"He should be in the hospital wing. Do you want me to go with you?" she asked in that sweet, sisterly way of hers. I put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Maybe some other time. But for now…"

She nodded understandingly and as I was walking away, I hear Luna shout something about a Blibbering Humdinger. Whatever that was. I shook my head and smiled slightly, picking my way through the Great Hall to get to the Hospital Wing.

I reached the door and started walking slowly, unsure if I could handle seeing him dead if he truly was. After a little ways, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. It was Hermione and Ron.

I turned them a confused face and said, "I thought I said-"

"We heard," Ron said jovially. "But we're on our way to someplace else."

Flummoxed, I gazed between the two of them and then almost laughed when Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak.

"Good gracious, I thought you two were going off by yourselves!" I giggled. Both smiled goofily and I started walking, the three of them catching up to me.

"So, where are you guys headed?"

"Dumbledore's Office," Harry replied.

"Ah," I said. Obviously Harry would want answers from the wise old man. I was curious though…

"Harry, how exactly did you… For lack of a better word, come back?" I asked gingerly, not entirely sure he would want to talk about it. Like I thought, he tensed up and said, "When Voldemort cast the spell, he killed off the bit of his soul inside me, but he didn't kill me. I talked to Dumbledore about it and-"

He clamped his mouth shut suddenly and looked horrified. Apparently he had spilled some great secret. I decided not to press him.

"I'm glad you came back Harry," I said, with all sincerity in my being. It would have hurt many people greatly had he been truly dead.

A corner of his mouth quirked up and he said, "I am too, so I could finish Voldemort off. But you seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it."

I blushed deeply and laughed deprecatingly. "I think constantly deflecting doesn't do much. I couldn't get a shot in edgewise."

He nodded and we reached the Hospital Wing. I stood there for a minute and contemplated going in, clenching my hands over and over. If I didn't go in, I would never know Severus's fate. I would never go trudge through the depths of immense sorrow, but then I would never know if he was truly alive. And not knowing if he was dead would have to have been ten times worse than having closure, would it not?

I struggled. I didn't want to see my husband bloodied, eyes closed as if he were sleeping, chest refusing to rise to take in the oxygen needed to live. But I had to. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and opened the door to the Wing.

Immediately, I could see many bodies covered in sheets, people who had not had the fortune of being kept alive, who were too far gone to be saved. My throat closed up, wondering if my husband was under one of those sheets. Unsteadily, I put one foot in front of the other, slowly walking through the Wing.

Some people were rather still, and I suspected they had been administered a very powerful Sleeping Draught. Some people were awake, but not too cognizant. Some of them gritted their teeth in pain. Some cried out softly. I cringed watching all this; hurt people weren't my forte when it came to dealing with them.

At the very end of the Wing, I could make out Severus's inky black hair, resting vividly against the stark white pillow his head was rested on. I sped up, needing to know, needing for the wait, the worry to be over…

I reached him in what seemed like no time at all and looked down on him. He seemed in quite the same condition as I had left him a few hours before. Short and shallow breathing, but not at all forced. I lifted his hand and checked his pulse on the inside of his wrist, counting on my watch a minute compared to his heartbeat. It was a little slow, but otherwise alright. I was thoroughly puzzled as to why he had not gotten too much better when Madame Pomfrey snuck up behind me.

"Gave me a right scare he did! Deathly pale when he came to me, but you can see some of the color has come back to his cheeks. His breathing's a little easier and his heart rate's a little faster, but that's all I can do for now. I'm not skilled at healing extremely poisonous snake bites; I've called for St. Mungo's to come and get him."

I nodded and forced the words I needed to say past the lump in my throat, "Do you think he'll live?"

She regarded him for a moment and said, "He's not out of danger yet because the poison's taken a mighty toll on him and it's still coursing through his veins. But with proper and swift treatment, I have high hopes."

I gave a great sigh and smiled a little. "Thank you Madame Pomfrey, for all you've done."

She gave my arm a little squeeze in return and bustled off to handle her next patient.

-o-

Over the next few weeks, Severus stayed in St. Mungo's. A day into his stay, he opened his eyes and was able to talk to me for a while. I stayed at Spinner's End with the girls and went to visit him every day. I took the girl's with me sometimes, but they didn't fully grasp why daddy was in the hospital and why he wouldn't come home. Severus lit up every time he saw them.

I would frequently take new books for him to read while he convalesced. He got increasingly impatient with his confinement and would complain constantly about the food served. Apparently, hospital food sucked. He had to go to physical therapy to walk again; it amazed me at how much damage Nagini had wreaked on his body. The venom had pumped through his system quickly and temporarily paralyzed him and slowed down his heart, but his agile home remedy had saved his life. It got him through until he could see Madame Pomfrey and then get to St. Mungo's.

After a while, Severus was released from St. Mungo's, and, on his first day out, he went straight up to the school to talk to Minerva about giving her the Headmaster position. He stepped down and became the Deputy Headmaster by her own appointment.

As Alexander was now an orphan, and of my blood, I took him in, much to my mother's protests and Severus's. My mother thought I was much too young to take on the task of raising three small children at one time and thought I would go mad. I assured her by saying that I would be a stay at home mother for a few years; money was no issue since Bellatrix had bequeathed her belongings to Alexander and gave the Gringott's account over to whomever would have to take care of him. We had money enough to live on.

Severus was opposed to it for a similar reason. _He _didn't want to have to raise three small children at one time. I begged him to let Alexander stay one night at Spinner's End though, and by the time morning rolled around, Severus had gotten rather attached to him. He played nicely with the girls and Severus and I vowed to raise him as our own and never tell him who his parents truly were. Which was a plan that worked out rather well until the summer before Alexander's first year at Hogwarts. But that's a story for another day.

_Author's Note: The End! But, I will write a sequel, I promise! I'm not ready to let them go just yet. :) Anyways, I am glad for everyone who has stuck it out with Katherine for the past five months and has enjoyed this story. The next chapter I am about to post is just facts about their lives and their children's lives after this story, nothing special. Thank you for reading this all the way through. Until the sequel! :)_

_P.S. I shall post here as a new chapter to let you know when the first chapter for the sequel is up, so don't take this off of Story Alert yet! :)_


	126. Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six

The way Katherine and Severus could always tell Posy and Melanie apart was that although they were identical, Posy had blue eyes and Melanie had violet eyes.

Katherine was a hatstall when she was sorted. The Sorting Hat had a hard time deciding whether to place her in Slytherin or Gryffindor, and thought Slytherin would have been the obvious choice since she was his descendant. However, she choose Gryffindor because she desperately wanted to prove she was unlike the rest of her family.

I had a hard time of it, trying to decide what Katherine's wand would be like. I went on Pottermore and looked at all the wand woods and the type of people who would possess them and wand lengths and what they mean. I finally decided on holly, since a person who owns a holly wand may need help overcoming a tendency to impetuosity or anger.* Holly wands also enjoy choosing people who are on a dangerous or spiritual quest. Wand lengths take height into consideration, but also personality. I figured 10 3/4 inches would be sufficient for someone so short but with such a big personality and so many facets. And last but not least, the core. The cores do not reflect a person's personality, but I felt strongly drawn to dragon heartstring for Katherine's wand core. Dragon heartstring produces the most powerful magic, and bond powerfully with their current owner. Incidentally, I was looking up stuff for an essay I was going to write on the possibilities of Severus's wand, since it is never mentioned, and came across a superstition, "when his wand's oak and her's is holly, then to marry would be folly", and thought it was the funniest thing since I had just decided that Katherine's would be holly. But for all intents and purposes, I have selected pine which is sensitive to non-verbal magic and may choose a loner as their owner. Someone mysterious and intriguing. I made his wand 14 1/2 inches since he is tall, but with a limited personality and made his core dragon heartstring as well since it is powerful and is the easiest of the cores to turn to Dark Magic.

* Funnily enough, I went onto Pottermore and took the wand test as if I was Katherine. She received Pine with Unicorn hair, 10 inches and rigid. I still stand by my original decision though. :)

On August 1st, 1999, Katherine and Severus got married in a Muggle church, just like he promised her. It was a quiet ceremony, since most people still didn't trust them too much after Voldemort's death. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville attended though.

Katherine passed the ability to speak to snakes down to her children.

Alexander was a Parseltongue as well.

Voldemort never held his son once.  
>Alexander died at the age of 22 from a particularly nasty case of dragon pox.<p>

Before Alexander died, he worked in the Magical Law Enforcement office at the MOM for a short period of time.

Katherine and Severus had a son and daughter after the war, the son when she was 24 and the daughter when she was 29.

Their son's name was Severus Tobias Snape II; Severus was highly opposed to it but gave in after his son was born and greatly resembled him.

Their daughter's name was Susan Irene, which they shortened to Susie.

Despite the age difference, the twins absolutely fawned over their younger sister.

Melanie and Posy were sorted into Gryffindor while Alexander was sorted into Slytherin. Severus was sorted into Hufflepuff and Susie went into Ravenclaw. Severus's siblings mercilessly teased him all through childhood about his being a Hufflepuff.

Susie was a Metamorphmagi, something that thoroughly flummoxed both Severus and Katherine since the closest blood relative Katherine had who was one was Tonks, and she was rather separated from her on the family tree.

Susie was the brightest of Katherine and Severus's children.

Susie went on to be a mediwitch and was a great innovator in the medical field; she wrote a bestseller that made it's way onto the Hogwarts book list in later years.

Severus turned out to be a fantastic Quidditch player and was a chaser. He was the captain of the Hufflepuff team from his fifth year up.

Like his namesake, Severus Tobias II was a genius when it came to Potions and invented his own potion that combated the effects of Garrotting Gas.

Posy was the most sensitive of their children, and used that to her advantage as she went on to be an accomplished and famous actress/singer.

Melanie was certainly the most powerful of their children, and the second brightest after Susie.

Melanie used her brilliance, wit and charm to climb the MOM ladder and became the Minister for Magic at the age of 37, and the first woman since Millicent Bagnold who had retired in 1990, 43 years previously.

Melanie and Posy, who were extremely close, ended up living only a couple streets over from each other for the rest of their lives.

Severus resumed his post as DADA teacher. McGonagall was Headmistress for eight years until she retired and Severus, being Deputy Headmaster, took over her position, making Pomona Sprout his Deputy Headmistress.

_Author's Note: If you have any more questions, you may PM me. :)_


	127. Sequel is up!

The sequel for Caught in the Middle has now been published! It is called Revisited Horrors, and I truly hope that if you enjoyed this story, you'll read the sequel as well.

Much Love,

Storyseamstress95


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